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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26682571">We are Stray Kids</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kathana/pseuds/Kathana'>Kathana</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band), GOT7, IZ (Band), K.A.R.D (Band), Monsta X (Band), NCT (Band), ONEUS (Band), Stray Kids (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Angst, Cat/Human Hybrids, Cute, Fight Scenes, Fluff, Guardians - Freeform, Hunters, Hybrids, Kim Seungmin &amp; Kim Wonpil are Siblings, Kitsunes, Lee Felix &amp; Lee Minho | Lee Know are Siblings, M/M, Multi, Not Proofread, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Survival, Vampires, Warlocks, Werewolves, crossposted on wattpad, everyone is a supernatural creature, poly ships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:20:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>366,021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26682571</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kathana/pseuds/Kathana</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The supernatural world is something humans know nothing about. They don't even know it really exists. Everything that you would call supernatural is protected by a special charm and can't be discovered by humans. Miroh High for example is a school for supernatural creatures of all sorts in the rather small town of Yellow Wood but for humans it's a normal school with normal students and teachers.<br/>But enough of that because much more interesting is the story of nine supernatural beings who are visiting Miroh High. They have to face their own hardships and great changes in the supernatural world.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Original Male Character(s), Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin/SeoChangbin/Kim Seungmin, Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin, Lee Felix/Yang Jeongin | I.N</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>125</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. First day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The first day back at school and for some the first day at a new school.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A world of supernatural beings is often a subject of books, TV series and movies but nobody could say with certainty that this mysterious world really existed and let’s just say that always managed to amuse some people. </p>
<p>People like Lee Felix and Lee Minho. Why? Well, because they were actually supernatural beings. In fact their whole family consisted of cat hybrids like they were themselves. The two brothers often laid on the gigantic bed in Minho’s bedroom and laughed their asses off because of the stupid human news that showed “new evidence” for the existence of supernatural beings. You could almost call it a hobby of them. </p>
<p>“Why are humans so stupid? Do they really think that random footprint proves anything?”, Felix laughed breathlessly, commencing the “evidence” shown on the TV screen. Minho could only shake his head while he continued to laugh. After some minutes of laughter filling the room, the two brothers finally calmed themselves down from their laughing fit.</p>
<p>Felix inhaled deeply to get some air back into his lungs. “Those news are gonna kill me someday”, he chuckled lightly and turned off the TV in order to not trigger another laughing fit. “Agreed but I guess that they will never stop doing this. Humans are curious with no end and obsessed with our world even though they have no clue it even exists for real”, Minho agreed with an amused rolling of his eyes. Felix hummed in agreement but he really hoped the humans would stay clueless about the existence of supernatural beings because when a human would discover their world for real it wouldn’t end well for both sides. </p>
<p>“Minho, Felix are you two already in bed or still watching something?“, the two boys cat ears perked up when they heard their mother’s voice ask this loudly from downstairs. The two brothers looked at each other for a second before Felix jumped up and ran to his room while Minho quickly got under the covers of his bed, pretending to be asleep. Felix did the same just in his room in hopes of fooling their parents.</p>
<p>The mother of the two boys, a female cat hybrid named Lee Eunji, came upstairs to check on the both of them not even a minute after the two boys were settled in their beds. She just saw that her two sons were “asleep” in their own beds. Satisfied with seeing her sons in their beds she walked the stairs back down to join her husband in the living room. </p>
<p>Minho‘s cat ears perked up when he was sure his mother was gone. He listened carefully if his mother was still near by, just in case. When he was sure the coast was clear he threw his covers to the side and sneaked out of his room and went to his brother. He entered Felix’s room without knocking and closed the door very carefully behind him. After all he had his good cat ears from his mother. </p>
<p>“When are they gonna stop treating us like little children?”, Felix whined lowly and sat up on his bed, pouting. “I mean I am seventeen and you are eighteen. You’d think they would treat us according to our age”, he added while throwing the covers off himself. Minho just chuckled since his brother was still pouting like a toddler, making his argument not seem very convincing. </p>
<p>“When are we starting to stop behaving like we are ten years younger than we actually are?”, the older of the two asked while having a little grin on his face. Felix thought for a second before he answered with “Never mind“ and let himself fall back into his soft mattress. Minho chuckled and join his brother on the bed, sitting down onto it cross-legged. A comfortable silence fell over the two brothers. Felix stared at the ceiling while Minho had closed his eyes and listened to the wind that was brushing past the window. </p>
<p>“Hey Minho”, Felix spoke up to get his brother’s attention. The older reacted with a simple hum and opened his eyes to look at Felix, signaling that he was listening. “Do you think we will be okay tomorrow? I mean we are going to a new school, our parents will be gone for the whole year because they need to take care of their clan because they became the new leaders and we will be on our own”, Felix worried as he sat up to look into his older brother’s eyes. He felt kind of scared what tomorrow would bring to them and if they would be ready for it since they have never attended a school with all kinds of supernatural beings. They used to go to a school with only cat hybrids</p>
<p>“We will be fine. Don’t worry. After all we still have each other”, Minho answered with a reassuring smile on his lips. “Forever and always?”, the younger asked and stuck out his pinky. Minho smiled a bit warmer at the gesture. It reminded him of his early childhood where Felix had made him promise the same thing and now wanted to refresh it. </p>
<p>Minho linked his pinky with Felix’s without hesitating. “Forever and always”, Minho repeated. Felix grinned, pulled his bother towards him, wrapped his arms around the older and then let himself fall backwards, resulting in them both laying on the mattress. Minho wasn’t even a little surprised that Felix did this. No, he saw it coming and let it happen. </p>
<p>“Now I feel totally ready for tomorrow to come”, Felix stated, cuddling up to his brother a bit more. Minho chuckled lightly and draped his arms around his younger brother, so they could both be a bit more comfortable. </p>
<p>Soon the two young cat hybrids were lulled into dreamland. They didn’t even notice that their mother came to check on them a second time. She smiled warmly at the scene she saw in Felix’s room and covered the two boys with the blanket Felix had thrown to the side. She walked back to the door and looked at her sleeping sons once more, having a bit of a worried look on her face before she finally left the room, closing the door behind her. </p>
<p>On the next morning the brothers were woken up by their mother. “Wake up you two. You need to get ready for school”, she said while shaking both boys by their shoulder. Both groaned but entangled themselves from each other to sit up. Their mother chuckled lightly and pat both of their heads while they rubbed their eyes tiredly. “Breakfast is downstairs but you need to hurry or your father will eat it by himself”, she commented as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. </p>
<p>Felix let himself fall back onto the mattress again. “I don’t wanna get up”, he whined while Minho tried to fix his bed-hair. “I am just getting up for breakfast”, the older answered and crawled out of bed after deeming that he needed a mirror to get his hair to do what he wanted. Felix sighed and already missed having his brother’s warmth beside him, so he decided that he couldn’t stay in bed anyway and also crawled out of it’s warmth. </p>
<p>Minho stood in front of Felix’ full body mirror and was still busy fixing his hazelnut brown hair. His cat ears and tail were of the same color. Felix on the other hand had ginger hair like the boys’ mother. His cat ears and tail were also orange with barely noticeable darker stripes on them. When two boys were younger Minho always compared Felix to the Puss-in-Boots because of his ginger hair. They both found this hilarious for some unknown reasons. </p>
<p>Felix walked over to his closet and looked through his clothes. What should he wear for his first day in a new school? He maybe stared a little bit too long into his closet without moving because Minho noticed it and walked over to him. </p>
<p>“I recommend you your jeans-jacket, a white T-shirt, a dark ripped jean and you white sneakers”, he said after a short look into his brother’s closet. Felix was a little bit taken off guard by his brother’s sudden recommendation but it didn’t sound bad to him. “Oh and put in one of your silver earrings”, the older male added. “That actually sounds quite good”, Felix commented even though he knew his brother had a better fashion sense than him. “Duh. I picked it. Now change. I will too. See you downstairs”, Minho said and walked out of the room to his own in order to get ready himself. </p>
<p>Felix took the clothes Minho suggested and went to the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom to get ready. He took a short shower, changed his cloths, brushed his teeth and quickly dried his hair. After a good thirty minutes he walked downstairs to the dinning room. The Lee family owned a rather big house, which was a bit unusual for cat hybrids associated with a cat hybrid clan. </p>
<p>Mrs. and Mr. Lee where already seated at the dining table, which had been set up by two around ten minutes ago. It filled the house with the wonderful aroma of backed goods and scrabbled eggs, letting Felix’s mouth become a bit watery. Minho wasn’t their yet. He seemed to take his sweet time to get ready. </p>
<p>“Ready for your first day at Miroh High?“, Mr. Lee, a tall, male cat hybrid with hazelnut brown hair, asked as Felix sat down at the table. “I think so“, Felix answered a little unsure but he still showed his father a brave little smile. “Everything will be fine, dear. Don’t worry”, Mrs. Lee reassured her son with a warm smile. Felix nodded and then heard a noise coming from the stairs. It was Minho walking down. </p>
<p>“Morning“, he greeted his family before he sat down at the table. The young male was wearing a light blue jeans with an orange sweater he tucked in at the front and a pair of white sneakers. Felix also noticed that he was wearing the silver necklace he gave Minho as a birthday present last year, which made his day a bit sweeter. </p>
<p>The family began eating their breakfast and casually talked with each other like they always did. After breakfast Minho and Felix went upstairs again to get their school stuff and backpacks. Their parents insisted on bringing them to school for their first day since they wouldn’t be present for most of their school year and so all four of them ended up in the family’s car. Felix looked out of the window while his mother went on and on about the things they needed to take care of when they were alone at home and how they needed to call them every Saturday. Felix really loved his mother and how much she cared for Minho and him but she was a bit too worried about them sometimes. </p>
<p>They arrived at the school and held their goodbye short because Mr. and Mrs. Lee didn’t want to embarrass their sons in front of their new school, which both boys internally thanked them for but Felix was still a little sad he didn’t get a hug from them. </p>
<p>Minho and Felix waved after them until they were out of sight and then entered the school ground by walking through the big, metallic gate. Felix’s tail nervously swayed back and forth as they walked towards the gigantic school building with “Miroh High“ written on the front with big red letters. Minho noticed his brother’s nervousness and linked his pinky with Felix’s to get the younger male to calm down and it worked. “We will be just fine“, Minho mumbled so only Felix could understand him. Felix nodded, trusting his brother. </p>
<p>The two brothers needed to find the headmaster‘s office to get further information on their new school life but at first they need to find it, which proved to be a lot more difficult than they thought. The school was huge and all the corridors were filled with students, talking to another or just walking to their classroom. Almost all of them seemed to be a different kinds of supernatural being, which was a bit exciting and scary to the two cat hybrid brothers. </p>
<p>“I swear to all gods, Kim Seungmin. Give me back my potion or I will curse you”, someone yelled behind the Lee brothers, startling both of them. A red-haired male rushed past them followed by another blue-haired one. “If you can catch me, witch”, the redhead answered sassily. “I am a warlock, you idiot and you know that“, the blue-haired male barked back while still chasing the redhead. </p>
<p>They were out of sight pretty fast because they were running very quickly but they left an impression on the two newcomers. Minho and Felix looked at each other and started to chuckle. Maybe this new school would be a lot more fun than they originally thought. </p>
<p>—————————————————————</p>
<p>Seungmin ran as fast as he could while grinning like a maniac. He was chased by his best friend Han Jisung, a warlock, because he stole one of his potions he needed for his potion class. Why? Because he wanted to annoy his friend a bit after they haven’t seen each other the whole summer. It was a good start for the school years wasn’t it? </p>
<p>The redhead navigated himself perfectly through the crowd of students in search for his angelic, older brother. He searched for the familiar mob of brown hair until he saw him. He speeded up even more but Jisung was still not far behind him. Did the warlock use a speed potion or something?</p>
<p>„Byungho-hyung!“, Seungmin yelled when he was near enough for his brother to hear him. Byungho turned around and was instantly tackled into hug by Seungmin shortly before the younger of the two moved to hide himself behind the older. Jisung came pretty fast into Byungho‘s sight. He wasn’t to miss with his blue hair. The young warlock spotted Byungho and came running over to the older. </p>
<p>“Have you seen your little devil of a brother?”, he asked the older, a little out of breath. “What did he do this time?“, Byungho sighed. His voice sounded very soothing and angelic even with the slight annoyance in his tone. Jisung huffed and crossed his arms. “He stole one of my potions. The worst thing is he took it while I was hugging him as a greeting“, the blue-haired male explained, pouting a little bit. “I see. Seungmin give Jisung back his potion”, he said, looking over his shoulder back to his younger brother. Seungmin looked blankly at the older. </p>
<p>“Why have you betrayed me like that, brother?“, he deadpanned. Jisung walked over to the redhead and snatched his potion out of Seungmin‘s grip to examine it. “Nothing happened. Thank the gods”, the young warlock breathed out and then he looked at Seungmin, who was still silently judging his older brother. Byungho was completely unbothered by that. </p>
<p>“You really are the spawn of satan“, Jisung stated while looking at Seungmin, being a little bit mad at the other for stealing his potion. The redhead turned his attention to the warlock and just shrugged at his statement. It was silent between the three young males before Byungho spoke up again. </p>
<p>“Shouldn’t you two go to your classroom?“, he asked the younger two. The two looked at the older then at each other again. “Who do we have in our first lesson?“, Jisung asked Seungmin. „I think Mr. Min ...“, he trailed off. The bell rang and the younger two knew they screwed up big time since Mr. Min was a rather strict teacher. </p>
<p>“I will blame you for this“, Jisung said, looking at Seungmin. “He won’t ask why we are late, he will just burn us alive when we go into his classroom“, Seungmin countered. “Maybe he will have mercy on you two when you go now“, Byungho thought out loud. Like that was a their cue Jisung and Seungmin started running towards their classroom like their lives depended on it. </p>
<p>They stumbled into Mr. Min’s classroom just two minutes late but they were unlucky enough to crash the introduction of three new students. Seungmin had his eyes fixed on the male with the black hair, who had immediately caught his eyes when he entered. He had full lips, a pair of beautiful brown orbs and an adorable mole under his left eye. He just looked breathtaking to summarize it. When the redhead noticed that maybe he should blink and look somewhere else his gaze met the eyes of Mr. Min, which shimmered with irritation. </p>
<p>“Kim Seungmin, Han Jisung care to explain why you are late and rudely interrupted the introductions of the new students?“, Mr. Min asked and crossed his arms over his chest while sternly looking at the two latecomers. </p>
<p>Jisung and Seungmin needed to think fast now or the teacher with the mint colored hair would burn them alive. He was a fire mage after all. Seungmin shallowed before opening his mouth to speak. “I don’t care. Just sit down“, Mr. Min interrupted and the two hurried to their seat, being faster than the rest of the class had expected, which earned them light giggles. The two were now seated at the back. Far away from the teacher, who was at the front. </p>
<p>Mr. Min sighed and told the new students to continue. The cat hybrid with the ginger hair nodded nervously. “I am Lee Felix and as you can see I’m a cat hybrid“, the orange-haired male introduced himself, moving the ginger cat ears on top of his head to underline his words. “I’m not part of a pack, group or organization yet but I look forward to finding my place within our supernatural world“, he ended, sounding like he had studied his introduction. The class clapped, welcoming him but then became quiet fairly quickly to hear the introduction of the beautiful boy with the black hair, who was standing next to Felix. </p>
<p>Seungmin was pretty interested in him, mainly because he couldn’t tell what he was but also because he wanted a name to that pretty face. “I am Hwang Hyunjin and I am a siren“, he said and almost the whole class gasped at that. Sirens often lived among themselves and not in the company of other supernatural creatures, which made them quite rare within cities like Yellow Wood. Some people started to whisper to the person next to them, making Hyunjin obviously nervous and uneasy. Seungmin felt kind of sorry for him and somehow wanted to help the siren but Mr. Min handled it. </p>
<p>One stern “Silence“ from him and the whole class became quiet instantly. “Go on, Hyunjin“, he encouraged the nervous siren in a much softer tone. Hyunjin lightly nodded and took a breath. “I am not in a group, pack or organization either“, he finished. The class clapped again but a little longer, maybe as an apology for their previous behavior. </p>
<p>Now everyone was focused on the third newcomer. A young male with blond hair, foxy eyes and an aura that let him seem confident. “I am Yang Jeongin. I am a kitsune also known as fox spirit. I don’t belong to any pack, group or organization either“, he said in one go, without showing any kind of nervousness. The class was stunned for a moment before they began to whisper again and this time Seungmin understood why. Sirens were rare to find in cities or villages with all sorts of supernatural creatures but kitsunes weren’t even really part of the supernatural community in the first place because they were known to cause trouble since they were natural tricksters.</p>
<p>Seungmin mustered the three newcomers again, while Mr. Min said some things to the class, which the redhead didn’t pay attention to. A part of the redhead really wanted to get to know Jeongin and Hyunjin but he knew himself that he wasn’t really great at socializing with others due his often childish behavior. Well, maybe he was going to surprise himself. </p>
<p>——————————————————————</p>
<p>After three hours of class, which were boring as hell in Minho’s opinion, there was finally a twenty minute break. Minho dashed out of his classroom after the bell rang, that announced the start of said break, to go and find Felix. He wanted to get as fast as he could to his brother because nobody, except Minho, had noticed that Felix had become pretty nervous after they were told by the headmaster that he and Minho were in completely different classes. Yes, Minho was a year older than Felix and they should have seen it coming that they would be split up unlike in their old school but Minho had seen how nervously his brother’s tail had swayed back and forth when they had to split up and that had been bugging him for the whole time he had to sit in his classroom. </p>
<p>When he arrived at Felix’s classroom he didn’t look where he was going and bumped into someone when he wanted to enter the room. “Woah, dude. Be careful where you are going“, the blue haired male, who he had bumped into, said. Minho recognized the blue hair from the chase Felix and he had witnessed this morning but that was all he knew about the male in front of him. </p>
<p>“Sorry, I was looking for someone and didn’t notice you“, Minho apologized even though it sounded pretty carefree. The blue haired male puffed his cheeks a little bit, which was more adorable than intimidating since he now resembled a squirrel. “Be careful next time or you will run someone over“, he said before walking off. Minho looked after the smaller male but then shrugged and continued his search for his brother until he found him. Felix smiled when he noticed his brother entering the room and immediately walked over to him. </p>
<p>“How was your introduction?“, the Minho asked his little brother while they left the classroom. “I’m glad it’s over honestly“, Felix answered and rubbed the back of his neck. “I really didn’t like how they were all staring at me like they expected something great“, Felix added after the two brothers started heading towards the cafeteria. They were told where it is was by the headmaster himself and since a lot of people were heading there right now it wasn’t to miss. </p>
<p>They wished they had something to cover their ears with after they entered the cafeteria. It was so loud in there that their cat ears needed to get used to it first. “Next time we should bring food with us and eat somewhere else“, Felix suggested and Minho agreed with a nod but for today they needed to endure it. </p>
<p>——————————————————</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Byungho and his friend Chan, a wolf hybrid, were seated at their usual table in the cafeteria. “And how was your summer, Byungho?“, Chan asked while smiling. “It wasn’t really interesting“, the older of the two answered. Chan wasn‘t really satisfied with that answer but he let it slide, not asking anymore questions. Before any of the two could say anything else a certain redhead joined them out of nowhere.</p>
<p>“Hello my favorite brother and brother’s friend“, Seungmin greeted and seated himself next to Byungho. “You do know that my name is Chan, right?“, Chan asked, raising an eyebrow. Seungmin just smiled sweetly and answered with a “No“ but before Chan could open his mouth again to complain or protest, Seungmin already started talking. “Did you also get new students? We got three and now you better grab your seats because one of them is a siren and one a kitsune“, the redhead told them, which earned him a strange look from both older students. </p>
<p>“Are you kidding? Is this one of your pranks?“, Chan asked because he knew how much of a prankster Seungmin was. The redhead gasped, acting like he was offended. “How could you assume that? I have always been truthful to you“, he said dramatically and put a hand over his heart. Chan huffed at that and mumbled something about his name while Byungho laughed lightly. “But no. I am telling the truth and just the truth. I mean sirens are rare but literally no one has seen a pure blood kitsune in twenty years and that’s why it’s so interesting”, Seungmin continued, sounding rather excited. </p>
<p>“And you are one hundred precent sure?“, Chan continued to ask. Seungmin nodded. “Ask Jisung or the two newcomers themselves“, the redhead added and looked to the entrance of the cafeteria where a nervous male with black hair and a blond boy had just walked in. As soon as some other students noticed them the cafeteria went silent. Completely silent. The blond boy just continued walking like nothing happened while the siren with the black hair trailed after him like he was a lost puppy. His whole posture showed how uncomfortable he must be feeling. </p>
<p>Some people started talking quietly while not taking their eyes of the two newcomers. “Seems like Seungmin was right. But I feel sorry for the both of them“, Byungho commented with sympathy in his voice. Seungmin and Chan nodded in agreement. </p>
<p>Seungmin thought about what pranks he could pull now to get the attention away from the two newcomers. He looked around thinking until he spotted Jisung, who was just getting his food from the canteen. Maybe he could help him. The two older students watched Seungmin‘s suspicious behavior and were already worried about what he was thinking. “I just saw Jisung. So I am gonna go now. See you two later“, Seungmin said with a smile and left before the two older males could do anything to stop him. </p>
<p>The cafeteria was still unusually quiet but at least some people were talking now. Seungmin casually grabbed Jisung‘s arm when he walked past him and dragged his friend with him, making the warlock almost drop his food. </p>
<p>“Ah, Seungmin. What is it? Let go of my arm“, the blue-haired male complained but still let himself be dragged. The redhead let him go when they were outside of the cafeteria and turned to face his friend. “I need your help“, he said. Jisung looked at him like he expected him to pull another prank on him. Seungmin only sighed. “I want to get the attention away from the newcomers“, he added. Jisung looked surprised when Seungmin said that and raised an eyebrow. </p>
<p>“Since when are you pulling pranks to shift the school‘s focus away from someone?“, he asked clearly confused. “Since now. Will you help me or not?“, the redhead asked again. Jisung thought about it for a short minute before he agreed. “Alright, but just because I feel really sorry for those two. Who do you want to prank anyway?“, Jisung wondered. Seungmin smirked and Jisung already regretted agreeing to help his best friend but he couldn’t back out now. </p>
<p>“Vampires“, Seungmin answered. To prank the vampires was a bad idea in Jisung‘s opinion. A very very bad idea. They will rip them apart when they find out that they pulled a prank on them. “I hate that idea but I will have to do it anyway. Just make sure that they don’t know it was us or we are dead“, Jisung said while shivering slightly at the thought of a vampire ripping him into pieces. “Alright. Let’s do this“, the redhead agreed while smirking. </p>
<p>———————————————————</p>
<p>Minho and Felix were seated at the back of the cafeteria. Even though they felt sorry for Jeongin and Hyunjin they were kind of happy that the cafeteria was quiet now. They ate their food and had a completely normal conversation. They joked around, had fun and successfully ignored the vampires on the table next to them. The vampires were sometimes looking at them, giggled and then said something to their neighbor in a hushed voice just to giggle again. </p>
<p>“What’s even up with those vampires?“, Minho asked with a smile on his face so the vampires wouldn’t notice he was talking about them. “I have no idea.“, Felix answered while eating a spoonful of his food. The cat ears of both boys perked up when they heard someone of the vampires say “stupid little kittens“. “And that’s finally it“, Minho growled lowly. He had enough of the vampires talking about Felix and him like they were some sort of stupid animal. Before Felix could stop him stood Minho up and walked over to the table of the vampires with a smile but his tail lashed back and forth in a rather aggressive manner. </p>
<p>The vampires stared at Minho with their black eyes when he slammed his hands onto their table. “Do you know that this stupid little kitten can hear pretty well?“, he asked in sweet tone but with a certain sharpness underneath it and the vampires didn’t miss that. “Well aren’t you brave, little kitten?“, a vampire with dark brown hair asked with a grin on his face. He leaned his head on his hand while looking at Minho in a pretty arrogant way. The cat hybrid recognized his voice as the same from before so he just stared the vampire down. The smile on his face was gone. “Well brave enough to tell you that you are a little arrogant douche in your face and not whisper it to my neighbor“, Minho shot back. </p>
<p>The vampire‘s arrogant grin was gone and he wanted to stand up but the black-haired vampire next to him held him down by simply saying “Don’t“. The vampire with the brown hair wanted to protest but one look from the black-haired vampire and he was shut up instantly. Minho mustered the black-haired vampire. He didn’t seem really tall but he had broad shoulders and underneath his black leather jacket he probably hid a very muscular upper body. His eyes were dark brown, almost black but the had a red shimmer in them. Minho wanted to make a sassy remark but his instincts kicked in and made him jump back. It wasn’t for nothing because not a second after Minho had jumped back a pink thick liquid was dumped onto the vampires out of nowhere. </p>
<p>The whole cafeteria gasped and then started laughing when they saw the vampires covered in the pink substance. Minho smirked wide and held back his laughter while he heard Felix laugh his ass off behind him. The brown haired vampire wiped of the pink substance from his eyes and looked angrily at Minho. “You are dead, kitten“, he growled lowly but that didn’t scare Minho at all. </p>
<p>The bell rang which indicated the end of the break. Minho just shrugged at the vampire withe a sweet smile in his face. He started walking away and had his brother by his side again not even a second after that. “I have to admit I was a little worried there”, Felix chuckled while they were walking away from the cafeteria. “Vampires don’t scare me and never will“, Minho just stated. </p>
<p>The two brothers had to split up again when they walked past Minho’s classroom. Felix waved him goodbye and then started walking to his own classroom. Minho entered his class and took his seat at the back. He leaned his head on his hand and looked out of the window to his right while trying to block out the noises and voices the classroom was filled with. </p>
<p>“Hey Minho“, he heard the person next to him call his name. Minho turned his head to look at a silver haired male. Minho already knew that he was wolf hybrid even though nobody had told him because of the way he smelt. It was not a bad smell it was just a mixture of different sort of trees with pine tree being the strongest one, which was pretty classic for wolf hybrids and werwolves. </p>
<p>“You didn’t pull that prank on the vamps, did you?“, the male asked. “No, but I really want to meet the person that did“, Minho answered truthfully without hesitation. The silver-haired male just deeply exhaled through his nose and sat down. “If it wasn’t you then I know who did it“, the male said while rubbing the bridge of his nose. Minho’s ears perked up in interest. “And who did it?“, he asked, sounding interested.</p>
<p>“My younger brother, Seungmin“, the male next to Chan answered. He had brown hair and was a little taller than the silver-haired male. His eyes had a nice dark color with a bit of a golden shimmer. “He is more or less the infamous prankster of this school“, he continued. Now Minho was really interested in this Seungmin even though he didn’t like pranksters that much since they tend to be immature. </p>
<p>“Oh by the way I am Chan and that’s Byungho“, the silver-haired male introduced himself and the taller male on his left. “Yeah, you already know my name“, Minho answered with a bit of humor, knowing they witnessed his rather lame introduction. </p>
<p>The three males continued to talk a little bit until the lesson started. They had history with Mr. Kim, a handsome young man with hazel hair and beautiful brown eyes but the lesson was a boring one to Minho and it kind of annoyed him that every teacher was already doing serious school stuff. It was the first school day for the gods‘ sake. </p>
<p>After twenty minutes of class the door was opened without knocking and a rather short, black-haired male entered the classroom. Minho recognized him as the black-haired vampire from the cafeteria. He seemed to have cleaned himself because there was nothing pink on him anymore and his black hair was damp. Mr. Kim turned around to face the black-haired male. “You better sit down fast, Mr. Seo“, the teacher said and the black-haired vampire did what he said without responding or showing any kind of reaction. </p>
<p>The vampire sat down in the second row on the right side, near the windows. Minho couldn’t really see him because the person sitting behind the vampire was a pretty tall male. Was that the reason why Minho hadn’t noticed that the black-haired vampire was in his class or did he simply not pay enough attention to his classmates? Didn’t matter now. Minho tried to pay attention to the boring lesson and not the quiet vampire in the second row.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Family issues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin has a very chaotic family.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first week of school passed by way too quickly for Seungmin‘s liking. It was Sunday and the redhead was at home, laying on his bed and staring at the dark ceiling of his room. The vampires didn’t figure out that the prank with the pink substance was Jisung and him. He made sure of that, just like he promised Jisung. He wasn’t one to go back on his word after all.</p><p>The redhead was bored out of his mind and when Seungmin was bored he got ideas for tones of pranks he could pull on any person. He smirked at an idea he just had. “Seungmin get down to the entrance hall. Now“, the boy heard his mother yell not very happily. Immediately the smirk on his face had disappeared and was replaced with a stone cold expression. He sat up and looked at his dark brown room door. Did he really want to face his mother right now? </p><p>“Seungmin!“, she yelled again but this time it sounded like he was fuming, which made Seungmin flinch. He had no choice then, so he stood up and walked to his door. He hesitated for a short second and tried to think of a way to escape his mother’s wrath but then he shook his head and left his room. He walked down the gigantic corridor‘s of his home to the stairs, which lead down to the entrance hall. The stairs looked like they were cut out of the renaissance. They were pretty wide and made of beautiful dark marble. Seungmin had always liked running theses stairs up and down ever since he was little but right now he couldn’t feel the happiness from those days. The moment Seungmin spotted his mother waiting at the end of those stairs with some of his other family members he knew something was up. The thought, that a certain someone was coming home was the only thing that came into the mind of the young male, letting his mod drop a bit more. </p><p>The redhead walked down the stairs and was immediately pulled to the side by his mother in a not so friendly manner. His mother was a rather tall, curvy woman with long blood red hair and red eyes. On top of her head were a pair of pitch black horns, which curved themselves upwards. Between those horns was a little crown made of black thorns, making it obvious that she belonged to royalty. Not the good kind of royalty though because Seungmin’s mother was non other than Lilith, the queen of hell and the metaphorical mother to all demons. </p><p>Lilith laid her hands on Seungmin’s shoulders, making the boy look to the ground almost instantly, when he glimpsed at the long black nails of his mother. If someone thought those nails were just for the look, they were wrong. Seungmin knew the sharpness of them himself. </p><p>While the boy stood there, hoping his mother wouldn’t dig her nails into his shoulder out of anger, he thought about the possible reasons for this little family gathering. He had a very strong suspicion on why they all had to come here but to prove, that he was right Byungho also needed to be here. He carefully looked up so search for his older brother and found him not shortly after that. </p><p>Byungho stood beside his own mother. A beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes. Yes, Byungho and Seungmin were half brothers. They had the same father but a different mother by they still loved in the same house. </p><p>Getting a glimpse of Byungho reminded Seungmin that he didn’t see his older brother with whom he shared both parents. He looked to his both sides but saw no one there. He didn’t want to ask his mother and he couldn’t ask Byungho because he was too far away but he didn’t need to stress anymore when he heard someone walk down the stairs. The redhead looked in the direction of the noise and saw his older brother, Wonpil. The older smiled lightly as Seungmin and his eyes met. Like Seungmin the older had natural blood red hair, which they both inherited from their mother but their dark eyes were from their father. </p><p>Wonpil was pulled next to Seungmin by their mother. “Be on your best behavior, you two“, the woman hissed and both of her sons answered with a simple nod. Seungmin had his eyes glued to the floor again. Now that everyone seemed to be here Seungmin was sure that the reason for this gathering was his father’s return from his long trip to the south. The redhead hated it when his father came home and he hated his father but well a lot of people did. He was the devil after all but the absolute worst about him was that he let his wife, his ex-wife and his girlfriend live under one roof with his children. His ex-wife was Seungmin and Wonpil‘s mother Lilith, the person, who reigned over hell with him, his current wife was Byungho‘s mother Eve, a pretty strong angel and his girlfriend was a female warlock named Athea who also had a son from him named Minseok but he preferred to be called Woosu because it was a lot easier for him that way. He was eighteen years old, meaning just a years older than Seungmin but unlike the rest of his siblings he was homeschooled by his mother. </p><p>Seungmin notice that Woosu and his mother stood to his left but with a good two meters space. The redhead looked to the side to catch a glimpse of his half brother, who he never really got to spend a lot of time with because of his mother. The female warlock hated demons and kept her son as far away from Seungmin, Wonpil and Lilith as she could. Woosu looked to the floor but when he noticed Seungmin’s gaze on him, making him looked to the side, letting their eyes meet. The young warlock had nearly white hair and a rather round face like his mother but his eyes were very dark, almost black like the eyes of all brothers here. Woosu showed Seungmin a little smile, which the redhead mirrored, before he looked back to the floor.</p><p>Suddenly the gigantic doors of the mansion flew open, which startled Seungmin a little bit and made him turn his attention to the very tall, handsome man with black hair, dark red almost black horns on top of his head and pitch black eyes, who just entered. “I am home“, he greeted with arms outstretched and a wide smile on his face. Seungmin would have walked away if he was able to but his mother kept him in place. The devil - or how he wanted to be called - Lucifer let his smile morph into a wide smirk. “I hope you all didn’t miss me too much. I even have brought a surprise with me so I can make it up to you all“, he announced and let his arms fall to his side. He took a step to the side to reveal two persons. One of them was a small woman with long, wavy, black hair and the other was a boy with also black hair who looked like he was just about fifteen years old. </p><p>Seungmin flinched a little bit when he felt the grip on his shoulder getting tighter. His mother wasn’t pleased at all. She was already angered when she had called for Seungmin but now she was probably ready to murder someone. Seungmin noticed that Wonpil also flinched beside him. </p><p>“Good to know that I am not the only one suffering because of our mother’s strength”, Seungmin thought to himself humorlessly and internally hoped for his shoulder to not break under his mother’s strong grip. </p><p>“This is Rana and our son Samuel. They are both sirens“, Lucifer introduced the two newcomers. For a short second the pain in Seungmin‘s shoulder was gone. “Sirens?“, he asked himself and mustered his two new family members. Samuel was looking down nervously while shifting his weigh from one foot to another. “They will stay with us form now on. Treat them well“, the devil continued with a smile like he didn’t notice the fuming Lilith. Seungmin felt the pain on his shoulder caused by his mother again. He nearly whimpered but bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from doing so. He was so focused to show no reaction to the pain in his shoulder he nearly overheard that his father asked him something. </p><p>“Seungmin, my little demon, would you show Samuel the empty rooms upstairs? I will show Rana around in the meantime“, Lucifer asked him with the use of a nickname he gave to the young redhead when he was a child. Seungmin didn’t like it because every time he was reminded of the fact that he used to like his father and that there was a time where he didn’t hide being a demon. </p><p>“Of course“, Seungmin answered his father with a monotone voice but he looked to Wonpil for a short second to non verbally say sorry, that he had to leave him alone with their mother. Wonpil noticed it and smiled for a second to signal his brother that it was okay. Nobody seemed to have noticed this little nonverbal conversation between the demon brothers. </p><p>Lilith let go of Seungmin‘s shoulder and the young demon stepped forward. Samuel walked up to him after his mother softy nudged him. Seungmin waited until the young siren was by his side and then began walking up the stairs. Both of them heard how Lucifer said “Follow me, my love“ to Rana and then walked off with her, ending the little family meeting automatically. </p><p>Seungmin said nothing to his “new“ half brother until they reached the part of the house with the many empty bedrooms. “You can choose which one you want“, Seungmin said and looked at the young siren. “Thank you“, he said politely and bowed his head a little. He seemed to have very good manners and Seungmin could tell that he was a good kid. That was why he felt sorry for the younger since he probably thought that he was an only child just some hours ago and now he had been pushed into this crazy family where he discovered that his father had multiple women and children.</p><p>Samuel walked past Seungmin and entered the first empty room he saw. “Hey wait“, Seungmin said before the young siren could close the door on him. Samuel looked up in surprise. Seungmin noticed his dark eyes. They were exactly like his own. Both boys seemingly had this realization because Seungmin could see how Samuel seemed shocked for a second before it morphed into an understanding glimmer in his eyes. A part of Seungmin said that he really wanted to get to know the young siren. He was the big brother to him after all, which was something Seungmin would need to get used to. </p><p>“Would you mind if I stay a little bit with you?“, Seungmin asked a little unsure of the other’s reaction. Samuel looked to the side and seemed to think for a minute. “No I wouldn’t“, he answered quietly and made space to let Seungmin walk into the room. The young demon smiled at that and entered the room. </p><p>The room was nothing special. It had it’s own bathroom, a big bed, big windows, a big closet and a simple but beautiful desk made of dark oakwood with a black chair in front of it. Samuel closed the door behind Seungmin and inspected the room a little bit. He seemed less nervous, letting his curiosity shine a bit more. </p><p>“So where are you from?“, Seungmin wondered and let himself fall onto the bed. He felt a sting in his shoulder but ignored it. Samuel looked at him and hesitated for a moment. “Los Angeles“, he then answered. Seungmin blinked in confusion and sat up. “So from America?“, Seungmin asked and Samuel nodded. Samuel didn’t sound like he was from America but maybe that was a siren thing. </p><p>“Father took it far this time“, the redhead mumbled to himself, being a bit surprised that his father had been so far away. “Did you say something?“, Samuel asked, having heard the redhead say something but Seungmin just shook his head and said “Nothing“. Samuel sat down backwards on the black chair in front of the desk, so he could look to Seungmin while laying his chin on the chair’s backrest. The two were silent for some time. </p><p>“Um. How are the others?“, Samuel spoke up while fiddling with the laces of his grey hoodie. “You mean our other brothers?“, Seungmin guessed and Samuel nodded. “All of them are great honestly. Wonpil, the other male with the red hair, can be really funny and nice but he is also pretty caring. Byungho, the one who stood beside the blond woman, is also pretty great. He always takes good care of me and is super kind. He will probably be the one, who looks out for you the most. And Minseok, we call him Woosu, the one with the white hair is kind of shut off from me and Wonpil because of his mother so I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time with him but I think he is a really friendly and nice.“, Seungmin told the younger. Samuel nodded in understanding. “But I think you should talk to them on your own and make your own picture of them“, the redhead added. And again Samuel nodded. Silence fell over the two once more.</p><p>Seungmin thought about all his brothers for the time being since that train of thought almost came naturally. The one he spend the most time with was Wonpil for rather obvious reasons but he also spend a lot of time with Byungho since they went to the same school. Back when the three of them were little they always played together even though Lilith would yell at Seungmin and Wonpil afterwards. Eve, Byungho’s mother, on the other hand would often watch them play and help them deal with Lilith afterwards. It was weird how Seungmin couldn’t remember feeling weird playing with Byungho even though he knew they had different mothers but well he was four when Eve and Byungho had moved into the house. Woosu and his mother Athea joined the family when Seungmin was nine, making it a bit more difficult for them to bond, especially because Athea always kept Woosu around her. Still, Byungho managed to bond with Woosu resulting in Wonpil and Seungmin also playing with him a few times when they were younger but as the years passed by it became harder to spend time with the warlock even though they lived in the same house. He kind of missed the times when he got to play and goof around with all his brothers but maybe it wasn’t too late for that. </p><p>“I will call the others over“, Seungmin said, startling Samuel a little bit. The siren blinked at him in confusion but said nothing to stop him. Seungmin just took this as a silent approval and made use of an demonic ability of his. He called for his brothers and told them were Samuel and he were but he didn’t need to open his mouth for that or move in the slightest way. No, this ability allowed him to call anyone he thought of and for that person it sounded totally normal, like Seungmin was not far away. It was the same ability, which Lilith had used to call Seungmin and Wonpil today since she had already been in the entrance hall. You could call this ability “demon voice” but it was a unofficial name since only Seungmin and Wonpil referred to it with that name. Seungmin used that ability a couple of times to prank someone. It was fun to make people think they were haunted by ghosts.  </p><p>After what felt like an eternity to Seungmin there was a knock on the door. “Who is that?“, Samuel asked. “I called Wonpil, Woosu and Byungho over. So you can get to know them“, Seungmin said casually and stood up to open the door. “When did you do that?“, the young siren wanted to know, seemingly being very curious. “It’s an demonic ability, which I call demon voice“, Seungmin answered the question while chuckling. He made his way to the door and opened it. He saw Wonpil, Byungho and Woosu standing there. “So what‘s up?“, Woosu asked casually while smiling. “Just thought we should spend some time together“, Seungmin shrugged and walked back to the bed to sit down on it. </p><p>The three older males entered the room and Byungho closed the door behind them. Wonpil let himself fall onto the bed next to Seungmin. He flinched at the impact. “Is your shoulder okay?“, Seungmin asked concerned because he knew exactly how much it must hurt. Byungho, Woosu and Samuel looked at first confused then worried. “I am fine“, Wonpil answered but sat up so it wouldn’t hurt that much. “Where did you hurt your shoulder?“, Samuel asked cautiously like he would ask something he shouldn‘t. Wonpil looked to Seungmin. The younger demon just shrugged indicating that Wonpil should just tell them the truth. “Let‘s say our mother has a pretty strong grip“, the older redhead said. Samuel flinched at that like he could feel the pain of Lilith‘s grip himself. Byungho and Minseok just grimaced already being aware of Lilith’s bad temper and sometimes aggressive nature. </p><p>“Let‘s change the topic to something more fun. Like music or video games“, Woosu suggested. The rest seemed totally okay with the topic change. “Do you guys like singing?“, Samuel asked shyly, scratching his nose. “Wonpil is pretty good singer. His voice is also super soothing and smooth“, Seungmin answered with a big smile and glanced at Wonpil to see that his older brother was a little bit embarrassed. Samuel just grinned at that. </p><p>“Most people say my singing is intoxicating“, the siren stated in a sweet tone which made the four older males laugh at the obvious reference to his species. “Of course it is. You are siren after all“, Seungmin said, mentally noting that Samuel must feel pretty confident in his species to make such jokes. </p><p>“No. I am just a natural talent“, the youngest responded, acting offended and threw his nonexistent long hair back, which made his older brothers laugh again. “Well, can this natural talent also play the drums“, Woosu asked teasingly. “In fact I can“, the siren responded with a smirk forming on his lips. “My mother got me a drum set when I was ten. I have been practicing ever since”, the young siren added with a cheeky grin. Woosu just blinked confused, having not expected for the younger to actually play the instrument he had been practicing ever since he was little. “We need to play together in the future“, Woosu suggested. Samuel just happily agreed. </p><p>The conversation of the five continued and they really had fun. They got to know each other and they kind of bonded like Seungmin wanted. Maybe they could overall spend more time together despite some of their mothers being against it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Problems and new friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everyone has to deal with some sort of problem and despite that the find new friends.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey Hyunjin-hyung. Are you ready to go to school?“, Jeongin asked Hyunjin as he entered the older boy’s room. Hyunjin was still laying on his bed and not moving a muscle. “No“, the older male mumbled. “But we need to go or Auntie will be mad at us again“, Jeongin whined, puffing his cheeks a little. Hyunjin raised his head to look at his cousin. “We have been at Miroh High for three weeks now and I already stopped counting how many love confessions I turned down“, the siren deadpanned. Jeongin let his cheeks become normal again and sighed lightly before he sat down on the bed next to Hyunjin while the siren let his head hit the softness of his mattress. The kitsune already gave up on trying to get his cousin to stand up. He could teleport the two of them to school with the help of his magic powers anyway so why stressing about it? They still had more than twenty minutes of time before they needed to be at school. </p><p>“Do you know what’s the absolute worst about all the confessions?“, the siren continued to complain and turned his head to look at Jeongin again. The blond shook his head because he really had no clue. “They all just like me because of my looks and my species. They think that I don’t even notice that. I even heard some of them whisper in the halls that they think I need a lover because I am siren, which is absolutely ridiculous. What do they teach at Miroh High for them to think something like that?”, Hyunjin mumbled but clearly loud enough for Jeongin to understand. </p><p>The fox spirit now felt sorry for Hyunjin. He had really hoped that his cousin’s school life would change because of their school change but it seemed like the older would have to continue turning down love confessions and people trying to flirt with him at lunch. The siren suddenly wrapped his arms around the younger and laid his head on the blond’s lap. Jeongin was used to this behavior of his cousin just patted his head casually. </p><p>After ten minutes of silence Hyunjin suddenly sat up. Jeongin blinked confused, having no idea what caused this sudden motion. “We still need to go to school, don’t we?“, the siren asked more himself than Jeongin but the fox spirit still nodded as an answer. Hyunjin stood up even though he seemingly had no motivation to do so, which was evident in his sloppy movement. “Then let’s go“, he sighed as he grabbed his backpack and Jeongin followed his example. </p><p>The two boys made use of Jeongin’s teleportation ability to get to school. When they walked into the building a lot of eyes where immediately on them. Hyunjin tried very hard to ignore them but that just resulted in a faster walk and that his eyes didn’t really leave the floor before him. Jeongin on the other hand was completely unbothered by the attention he was getting for being a kitsune and that was why he noticed that something was different. The people were acting different. Not towards him but towards Hyunjin. They looked at him and then whispered something to the person next to them but it was different from what the noticed the last three weeks. This made the kitsune curious. What were they talking about? He couldn’t even tell if what they say was positive or negative but he guessed it was the latter. </p><p>The fox spirit was ripped out of his thoughts when Hyunjin crashed against him. Not because the siren tripped or something, no he was pushed by a vampire with brown hair and an arrogant look on his face. Jeongin luckily didn’t fall back, which allowed him to catch Hyunjin and save him from letting his back hit the ground. </p><p>“What’s your problem?“, Jeongin barked at the vampire who pushed Hyunjin. He was ready to teach that arrogant brick a lesson if it was necessary. “Your siren friend should be careful where he is going“, the vampire said arrogantly. Jeongin thought about ripping that guys head off but ended up giving him a death glare. “Ryan, just leave them. We need to go“, a black haired vampire from behind this Ryan guy said in a very monotone voice. Jeongin mustered the vampire with the raven black hair for a second. He just wore black, looked like he wanted to be seen as a bad boy with his black leather jacket and the cold look on his face. He walked past Hyunjin and Jeongin without giving them much attention and Ryan followed him like an obedient dog while glaring at Hyunjin and Jeongin. </p><p>Jeongin didn’t pay attention to the vampires anymore and helped Hyunjin stand up properly and made a mental note to let Ryan pay for treating his cousin like that some day in the future. “Are you okay?“, the blond asked his cousin concerned. “Y-yeah“, Hyunjin stuttered a little bit, seemingly being a bit shaken up. Now Ryan was dead to Jeongin. Very very dead. “Let’s go to class before we are late“, the fox spirit said and took Hyunjin’s hand to get the siren to move. </p><p>They arrived in their classroom on time and took their seats next to each other in the second row. The class still didn’t drop the topic of them being rare supernatural species and started to whisper again. Jeongin ignored them successfully. The kitsune was seated at the window while Hyunjin sat to his left, meaning the siren had another person next to him. That person was the third newcomer in their class, Lee Felix. </p><p>The cat hybrid was very friendly and acted normal towards Jeongin and Hyunjin, which was a bit of a surprise. He didn’t care at all about them being a siren and a kitsune. Hyunjin appreciated that more than Felix could probably realize. The three of them became more or less friends over the last three weeks because they were all new to the school and even exchanged phone numbers but today the friendly cat hybrid was nowhere to be seen. Jeongin looked around a bit and so did his cousin but they couldn’t spot the ginger anywhere. Was he sick or something?</p><p>“Where is Felix? He usually arrives here before us and today we are late“, the siren worried and looked around once again to maybe spot the familiar orange hair of the hybrid now. But he didn’t. The cat hybrid wasn’t in the classroom. “Maybe he just overslept or fell sick“, Jeongin tried to calm his cousin down but Hyunjin wasn’t convinced at all. He just looked at Jeongin with even more worry in his eyes. </p><p>The bell rang and Mr. Kim, their history teacher walked in and started the lesson after checking who wasn’t here. He marked Felix as absent, which only made Hyunjin stress over the disappearance of the cat hybrid like a parent, who lost their child at a park. A part of Jeongin could understand his cousin though, Felix was more or less their first friend after all. </p><p>“We will ask around after the lesson. Maybe we can even find his older brother Minho“, Jeongin whispered to Hyunjin to calm him down. The siren nodded, seeming a bit more relaxed but Jeongin knew he was still worried. </p><p>————————————————</p><p>Felix and Minho were running through the empty halls. The both of them overslept because their alarms somehow shut themselves over night, which was unfortunate. “I swear to all gods above heaven. I will destroy that stupid alarm if I survive Mr. Min’s lesson“, Minho said a little bit out of breath. “I can already hear Mr. Kim’s remark about the early bird catches the worm but the earlier cat catches the bird“, Felix huffed and scrunched up his nose. Minho laughed even while he was running. Felix’s classroom wasn’t that far anymore.</p><p>“Well good morning, kittens“, they heard someone say. Minho recognized that voice instantly but before he could react to it the brown haired vampire, who was called Ryan as Minho figured out over the last week, was pulling both cat hybrids back harshly by their arms, making them fall to the ground. Both of them managed to catch themselves so they didn’t get hurt when they landed on the hard floor. Their cat instincts should be blessed. Minho immediately glared daggers at the arrogant vampire being ready to jump him if he dared to touch Felix again.</p><p>Ryan stood before them with an arrogant smirk on his lips and Minho just wanted to punch him in the face for that. “What do you want?“, Minho said lowly, continuing to glare at the vampire. Ryan’s smirk just got a little wider. “Nothing, really. I just saw you two running down the halls and thought why shouldn’t I say hello?“, he stated and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Minho wanted to stand up to wipe that arrogant smirk off the vampire’s face but was held down by someone and so was Felix. Two other vampires, one male and one female, had appeared out of nowhere and held the two hybrids in their sitting position by pressing their shoulders down and sadly vampires were known for their strength. </p><p>“I heard an interesting rumor by the way. It said that you two helped a certain someone pull that prank with the pink substance on us. I think I don’t need to mention that we didn’t like it how we were embarrassed in front of the whole school“, Ryan continued to speak, stepping a bit closer to the Lee brothers. </p><p>“Well that is just a rumor. That was on our first day at this school. How should we have helped anybody pulling a prank on you and your group?“, Minho scoffed, not believing that Ryan was this stupid. He knew who has pulled the prank on the vampires thanks to his classmates Chan and Byungho but he wouldn’t let Ryan know that. </p><p>The brown-haired vampire shrugged, obviously not caring about the facts. “I don’t know how you did it. Maybe by distracting us? Because that was what you did, kitten“, he responded and looked Minho in the eyes. He was smirking again while his eyes glimmer with pure arrogance. “But honestly, I don’t even really care if you two were involved in that matter or not. I just hold a grudge against you. You know why and sadly your brother will have to carry the consequences with you“, Ryan went on and bend down to be on eye-level with Minho. The cat hybrid just glared at the other. </p><p>“You don’t mess with vampires. That should be a common rule“, Ryan ended his monologue in a more serious tone but to Minho everything the vampire had said was nothing but a bunch of empty threats. This vampire didn’t have the guts to hurt them in any way. He was a talker not a fighter, unlike Minho. Still the vampires behind the two brothers didn’t let them go. </p><p>Minho had an idea on how to free himself and his brother but they needed to make their move on the same time and very quickly. He looked over to Felix and let his eyes flash to his piercing green cats eyes for a short second. </p><p>When a cat hybrid was fighting they always had a different set of eyes. Normally Minho’s eyes had a dark brown color but he could switch them to piercing green cat eyes if he wanted. This would enhance all of his senses and make his instincts more prominent. </p><p>Felix got his brother’s hidden message and also let his eyes flash to his deep blue cat eyes for a short moment. The vampires noticed none of that. Minho looked to Ryan again. The vampire seemed satisfied because he thought he finally scared the hybrids. Well, he really was just stupid. He opened his mouth to say something again but the cat hybrids made their move before he could even get one tone out.</p><p>The eyes of the two brothers changed color and now equaled the ones of real cats. Both hybrids let themselves fall backwards and kicked the vampires behind them on the chin, which send them falling backwards. Cat hybrids were pretty flexible creatures. Did nobody tell the vampires that? Felix and Minho got up fast and ran back the way they came from to get as far away from the vampires as they could. They turned right on one corner and took an other way to Minho’s classroom, hoping to reach it before the vampires caught up.</p><p>“Now they will kill us for sure”, Felix stated and ran faster when Minho’s classroom came in sight. “Ryan is just overreacting”, Minho answered. They stopped in front of Minho’s classroom to catch their breath. </p><p>Minho looked around. No vampire was in sight. “It looks like they didn’t follow us”, Minho stated. Felix nodded after looking around as well. “The question is wh-“, the younger’s question was cut off by the ringing of the bell. </p><p>Luck wasn’t on the side of the two brothers today because Mr. Min left the classroom at this exact moment and stood now directly in front of the two. “You two are pretty late, I see”, the teacher with the mint-colored hair said and crossed his arms over his chest. “Our alarm didn’t go off today”, Minho immediately excused himself and Felix. Both boys hoped that they wouldn’t get in trouble for missing the first lesson. Mr. Min looked at the two for a long minute and then sighed. </p><p>“I will let this slide for once because you are new here. But you better not repeat it”, he said and both brothers eagerly nodded their head. They could swear they saw a tiny smile on Mr. Min’s lips when he walked off but they really weren’t sure because most of the time he was quite grumpy and looked like he was done with life. </p><p>Why didn’t they say something about the vampires to the teacher? Well, because even though they just ran away from them, they didn’t really take them seriously. They thought that this was no serious problem the teachers needed to deal with.</p><p>“Minho?”, the brown-haired cat hybrid’s ears perked up and he turned his head to look for the person, who called his name. He spotted Chan and Byungho walking up to Felix and him. “Friends of yours?”, Felix asked quietly. “Kind of”, was Minho’s answer since he wasn’t particularly sure if he could call them friends yet. They just hung out at school after all. </p><p>“Did you oversleep or something?”, Chan asked when he stood in front of the Lee brothers. “Our alarm is damaged or something. He didn’t go off so we slept a little too long and then we had the luck to run past a certain vampire”, Minho told them while rolling his eyes. “A certain vampire?”, Byungho chimed in. “Ryan. He doesn’t like me and heard a rumor that we helped pulling the prank on them”, the older cat hybrid explained. Byungho and Chan immediately knew what Minho was talking about now. </p><p>“That’s absolutely stupid. He shouldn’t be listening to a stupid rumor”, Felix grumbled to himself. The younger knew who pulled the prank on the vampires because Minho had told him. They were brothers but they also told each other everything like they were best friends. </p><p>Chan and Byungho turned their heads to looked at the orange-haired cat hybrid. They both seemed a bit puzzled. They didn’t know Felix, did they? Felix seemed to realize that just now.“Oh. I am Minho’s younger brother Felix. Did he never mention me?”, Felix introduced himself and looked to Minho, who just shrugged. He had never really talked about Felix in the presence of his classmates. Byungho and Chan made an ‘Oh’ noise and then introduced themselves to the younger. </p><p>Felix smiled brightly when they began to chat a little bit and when Byungho and Chan saw the young cat hybrid’s sunlike smile they both looked like they wanted to protect the younger male at all costs. Even though Byungho and Chan never said that out loud Minho knew it just by watching them talk with his younger brother. It was something Minho called the “Felix effect” because a lot of people reacted just like that after seeing Felix’s smile.</p><p>“Felix”, someone called the younger Lee brother. Minho looked into the direction of the voice. and spotted Hwang Hyunjin, Miroh High’s infamous siren. The siren ran up to Felix and immediately hugged him like he hadn’t seen the other in years, which confused Minho despite knowing that Felix already referred to the siren as a friend. Felix hugged the siren back casually like he was used to it. </p><p>The siren was followed by the school’s infamous kitsune Yang Jeongin but he wasn’t rushing like Hyunjin and approached the group of older students slower. Minho had no real opinion of the duo even though they were THE talk of the school. He knew that they were more or less friends with Felix and that his younger brother really enjoyed their company since it made him feel included but he had never really talked to them himself.</p><p>“I was so worried that something might’ve happened to you”, Hyunjin said and let go of Felix to muster him, to make really sure he was one hundred percent okay, which reminded Minho of his mother and that was a little weird. “You just overreacted, hyung”, Jeongin commented, offhandedly. Hyunjin just huffed while Felix laughed. “Don’t worry Hyunjin. I am totally fine”, Felix said still giggling a little bit. </p><p>Minho noticed that Chan and Byungho just looked at each other, probably being a bit confused that Hyunjin and Jeongin were friends with Minho’s younger brother. “Oh. This are my classmates and friends, Jeongin and Hyunjin”, Felix still introduced them innocently. Hyunjin smiled and waved a little awkwardly. Jeongin just copied Hyunjin’s wave but it was more smooth and natural in his case. Minho had the theory that neither Hyunjin nor Jeongin were used to be called friend or to be introduced by other people, judging by the way they seemed a bit stiff. </p><p>“And this is my brother Minho as you may know and his friends Chan and Byungho”, Felix also introduced the elders to his two friends. “Nice to meet you”, Chan said and smiled warmly. Byungho maybe smiled even warmer while Minho just waved, trying not to seem too weird. </p><p>The rest of the conversation was cut short by the ringing of the bell, indicating the start of the next lesson. They all said goodbye pretty quick and made their way to their classroom. “See you later in the cafeteria, Minho”, Felix said to his older brother before they parted ways. And here Minho thought they would try to finally avoid that loud place but no. For the sake of social contact and not having a meal prepared.  </p><p>————————————————</p><p>After the third period Felix dragged Jeongin and Hyunjin to the cafeteria. They got their food and after that the cat hybrid search for his brother and found him sitting at a table with Chan and Byungho. And again Jeongin and Hyunjin were dragged to that table by Felix. It was a miracle that they didn’t drop anything of their food. </p><p>“Hey there”, Felix greeted the older males when they arrived at the table and he finally let go of Jeongin and Hyunjin arms which was a huge relive to them. “Can we sit with you?”, the orange-haired male asked politely. “You don’t need to ask. Just sit down”, Byungho chuckled. Felix smiled wide at that. “Thank you”, he thanked the older and sat down beside Minho. </p><p>Hyunjin sat down besides Felix and Jeongin was seated besides Chan. “So how do you like Miroh High so far?” Chan asked and looked at the three younger students. Hyunjin and Jeongin shared a look but before they could answer Felix already opened his mouth. “I think the teachers are really good at their job and the most of them are also super friendly. It’s just that some students care maybe a little bit too much about the different species of supernatural beings”, the orange-haired male said. It was his honest opinion even if it seemed unlike him. </p><p>Everyone at the table seemed a bit surprised even Minho but they caught themselves quickly enough. “I very much agree with Felix”, Jeongin stated. “Sometimes it’s pretty annoying if everybody starts whispering if you enter the room just because you belong to a rare species”, the blond continued while scrunching up his nose. “I am sorry to hear that”, Chan said, sounding empathetic. “Hopefully it will stop over time and if not you should really do something against it because nobody should be treated that way just because of their species”, Felix spoke up again and leaned back a little. The three older males agreed with the ginger.</p><p>“Um. Is it rude to ask what species you belong to?”, Hyunjin asked cautiously, looking at Byungho and Chan. Felix blinked a few times in realization and looked at his brother’s classmates. Unlike Minho and Felix you really couldn’t tell what Chan and Byungho were just by looking at them. The both looked like humans. They had no animal ears or tail and no special eye color or colorful hair. </p><p>Chan grinned a little bit, showing that even his teeth looked mostly normal, except for the a bit larger canines, which could pass as normal too. “Guess”, he said while looking at Hyunjin, Felix and Jeongin. “You will never guess what I am”, Minho chimed in while swaying his tail playfully. Hyunjin laughed a little at that. “We know you are a cat hybrid. It’s obvious”, Jeongin teased while smirking slightly. “Well, I also know you are a siren and a kitsune because you smell and look like that”, Minho sassed back and crossed his arms to acted like he was mad at them. Felix smiled a little bit at that, being glad that his brother and new friends apparently got along. It would be so much harder for the young cat hybrid if they didn’t.</p><p>Then Felix turned his attention back to Chan and Byungho. Chan was still waiting for the younger ones to guess. Felix had no idea by just looking at the older male, so he used his nose. A cat hybrid’s nose was better that average even though it wasn’t as good as the ones of a dog-like hybrid or werewolf but it was enough to pick up Chan’s scent. It reminded Felix of a forest with the sent of pine tree being very strong and he could also smell a bit of dog, therefore Byungho was most likely a wolf hybrid but the cat hybrid didn’t want to ruin the game, so he kept quiet. </p><p>“I know it”, Jeongin said after a short while. “You clearly used your powers”, Hyunjin whined and slapped Jeongin’s arm. The fox spirit was entirely unbothered by the weak slap of the siren. He didn’t even really feel Hyunjin hitting him. “I didn’t”, the blond replied. “So go for it”, Chan encouraged them. Jeongin let Hyunjin take the first guess. </p><p>“I think Chan is a very nice vampire because he is so pale and has quite large canines. And Byungho is a werewolf because he is tall and has broad shoulders”, Hyunjin guessed with a proud smile on his face. Felix had to bite back a laugh but he couldn’t hold it in anymore when Minho and Jeongin started to laugh.</p><p>Byungho and Chan were disciplined enough to not laugh at the siren’s wrong guess but you could see they really needed to hold themselves back. Hyunjin on the other hand was absolutely clueless and looked at the others with confusion written all over his face but despite that he looked pretty cute, everybody had to admit that. </p><p>“Chan is clearly no vampire. He doesn’t smell like one at all”, Jeongin explained while still laughing a little. “Well excuse me for not having a good nose like you ”, Hyunjin huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked away from the two and wanted to pretend to be mad but he just looked more cute with the little pout on his lips. “I think Chan is a wolf hybrid”, Jeongin guessed but more or less knew when he had a good nose like Felix. “I think that too”, the cat hybrid agreed with the kitsune.</p><p>“And you are right”, Chan giggled. Hyunjin just huffed in frustration and then looked at Jeongin and Felix. “And what is Byungho? Can you also smell that too?”, Hyunjin challenged Felix and Jeongin. Felix looked over to the tall male, that sat beside Chan. Unlike the wolf hybrid next him he had no special scent that gave away his species, rendering even the ones with a good nose clueless.</p><p>“So what are you, Byungho?”, Minho questioned because apparently he didn’t know either, despite it being in the same class as the brunette. “Nobody wants to guess like Hyunjin?”, Byungho asked. “We just want to know”, Felix answered, sounding curious. “Was I right?”, Hyunjin wondered, letting his eyes sparkle with hope. Byungho shook his head with an amused smile on his lips and Hyunjin pouted again. “I am a warlock”, he answered. </p><p>Felix was a bit taken back by that answer. Byungho didn’t look like a warlock at all. As far as he knew warlocks had colorful hair and intense eyes most of the time, meaning you could see they were warlocks but Byungho had honey brown hair and dark eyes, making him look more like a hybrid or werewolf. </p><p>“Okay, nobody could have guessed that because you really don’t look like one”, Minho commented after a short silence, leaning back. “I get that a lot”, Byungho chuckled. Chan just looked at Minho with squinted eyes like he thought about something really hard. </p><p>“You really are not the most empathetic person, are you Minho?”, the silver-haired male more stated than asked. “Are you implying that I’m a rude person? I am hurt”, the cat hybrid responded, empathizing the last sentence by saying every word loud and clear. Everybody lightly laughed at Minho’s act. “I think I know someone who can top Minho’s rudeness.” Byungho commented with a chuckle. Chan looked puzzled for a second but then his face lit up with an realization and he just nodded in agreement. This made Felix quite curious. He couldn’t imagine someone being as blunt and sometimes weird as his brother. </p><p>Before Byungho could reveal who he was talking about, someone called his name from the other end of the cafeteria. “Talking about the devil”, Chan mumbled, being barely audible for even Felix’ good cat ears. A certain redhead jogged towards their table with a bright smile on his face followed by a certain blue-haired warlock and another person with black hair who looked a little younger than Jeongin. Felix knew the redhead and the warlock since they were in his class but he couldn’t remember their names at the moment. The third person on the other hand was completely unknown to the young cat hybrid. </p><p>“What’s wrong, Seungmin?”, Byungho asked sounding a little bit concerned but not about someone’s wellbeing as far as Felix could tell. The almost whole table was slightly confused. Jeongin and Hyunjin probably recognized Seungmin and his blue haired companion as their classmates but nobody had a clue why Byungho knew them. Minho on the other hand didn’t know all three of them but Felix noted that he was looking at the warlock with the blue hair and light blue eyes the most.</p><p>“Okay. Watch this”, the redhead, which Byungho had called Seungmin, said excitedly while walking over to Byungho and then turned the brunette’s head to the entrance of the cafeteria. The rest of the table did the same out of curiosity. </p><p>For a short while nothing happened but then the double door was smashed open and a group of werewolves walked in. Their cloths, more specifically their leather jackets with their pack symbol printed on it, were colored in bright pink. A lot of people started laughing at that. The big bad wolves of the school were all wearing pink but the funniest thing were their faces. They were so done with this. </p><p>Seungmin had to contain his laughter while the blue haired warlock laughed like half of the cafeteria. “You two really want to make as many enemies as you can, don’t you?”, Byungho sighed then he looked to the younger black-haired male. “Please don’t pick that habit up, Samuel”, he said. “I won’t. Don’t worry”, Samuel answered with a smile. Byungho turned back to the rest. </p><p>“For the ones who don’t know these are Seungmin and Samuel, my little brothers and Jisung, Seungmin’s friend and partner in crime”, he introduced the three young males to the rest of the group. “Nice to meet you”, Felix greeted them and smiled. Seungmin and Jisung said a simple ‘Hi’ while Samuel waved and politely said ‘Hello’. Felix started to smalltalk with the young male a little until basically everyone joined the conversation.</p><p>While they talked Felix noticed in the corner of his eye that Chan looked really confused ever since Byungho had introduced his two younger brothers and Jisung. Had Byungho never introduced them to him? Weren’t they close friends because they seemed like that most of the time and according to what Felix heard from Minho the two have known each other for a long time. Still, there could be the possibility that he was just misinterpreting things. </p><p>“Hey Chan, are you okay?”, Byungho asked and managed to bring Chan back into reality. “Y-yeah. I am fine. I just spaced out a little”, the wolf hybrid explained and rubbed the back of his neck. Byungho mustered his friend  seemingly being a little worried. Chan just smiled to reassure him that everything really was fine. </p><p>Felix looked back to Samuel, who had taken a seat beside Hyunjin while Seungmin and Jisung sat on the other side besides Byungho. “So, Samuel why did you come to Miroh High three weeks after school started?”, Hyunjin asked the youngest at the table. “Oh, my father had this idea spontaneously. Originally I was supposed to be homeschooled with another one of my older brothers”, Samuel answered. Seungmin huffed. “I hate fathers spontaneous decisions”, he grumbled. “And in which class do you go?”, Jeongin asked interested. “6B, so I am one class below yours”, he responded with a smile. </p><p>The conversation was cut short by the bell again. It announced that the break was over. Everybody went back to their separated classrooms. Of course not without saying goodbye to the rest and exchanging phone numbers just in case.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Being alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin fights against his own boredom and luckily gets help.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was in the middle of November. The weather was now cold and snow should be coming pretty soon. Some supernatural creatures loved the cold and some would rather stay at home cuddled up in a blanket. </p><p>Seo Changbin didn’t really like the cold of the winter but he enjoyed it way more than the annoying heat of summer. Why? Because he was a vampire. It couldn’t be too cold for him because he had almost no body heat and couldn’t really feel coldness either but he could feel heat and the burning rays of sunshine a lot easier than other supernatural creatures. </p><p>Changbin was sitting in the living room of his home, which was a big, luxurious, gothic castle build just for him, and watched a report about supernatural creatures made by humans because he had nothing better to do on this sunday evening. The report was stupid, had no real facts and was based on really old myths the humans told their children to scare them. For example, the report stated that vampires die when they came into contact with sunlight and claimed that you could also kill a vampire with a wooden stake. Both things were ridiculous to Changbin and also totally false in general. Vampires could be hurt by wooden stakes just like humans but it didn’t kill them like it was poised and the thing with the sunlight was also false. Vampires just reacted sensitive to heat but didn’t burn to ashes at the contact of a single ray of sunshine. Changbin turned the TV off because he was fed up with the humans false information and started to ask himself why he even watched the report in the first place. </p><p>The black-haired vampire let himself fall to the side and hit the softness of the black couch he was sitting on. Now he was bored again. It was the biggest disadvantage of living alone in a gigantic castle outside of town. Changbin’s parents were never here with him because they needed to reign over all vampires as the king and the queen in the main castle in Transylvania. Yes, Changbin could be referred to as the vampire prince. Some people even called him like that but Changbin thought it was ridicules and unnecessary. That was one of the reasons why nearly nobody in his school knew that he was the heir of the vampire throne and because he didn’t want to be treated like a prince. You could say that Changbin hated being treated like royalty because he hated it that his parents were always far away from him because of their responsibilities as king and queen. </p><p>Still, someday he would also get that responsibility of ruling all vampires put on his shoulders. He was the only heir after all. He had no older or younger sibling who could take that responsibility from him. No, it was his duty, his destiny to someday rule over all vampires if he liked it or not.</p><p>Changbin sighed and sat up again. He was bored and he had nothing to do bu it was still too early to go to bed. As if the universe noticed the vampire’s boredom Changbin’s phone started ringing. The vampire picked it up from the coffee table in front of the couch and looked at the ID. It read “annoying chicken”. The young prince groaned, asking himself what it could be that his “babysitter” wanted.</p><p>The young male debated if he should just let the phone keep ringing and therefore ignore it but he was really bored, so he just picked up. “What do you want?”, Changbin asked after he put his phone on speaker and laid it on his lap. The vampire could hear a gasp from the other end of the line. “You really picked up? I am shook”, Jae, Changbin’s “babysitter” as his parents referred to him, said. Changbin rolled his eyes at the dramatic response of the older male. </p><p>“Do I need to repeat my question?”, the young vampire asked, sounding a bit rude. There was a short silence and some background noises before Jae spoke up again. “Oh, yeah. I wanted to just call you and ask you if you want to hang out with me and my friends but I never thought that through because I was pretty sure you wouldn’t pick up”, the other explained. Changbin raised an eyebrow even though the other couldn’t see it. Was he wanted now or not? Why was he even considering agreeing to this at all?</p><p>After thinking about it for a short minute Changbin decided that he would do probably anything to end his boredom, so why shouldn’t he hang out with Jae and his friends. He knew them well enough to be himself with them around. </p><p> “You know what? I will surprise you again. Where are you?”, Changbin asked after a short while. He heard another gasp and again some voices in the background. What was going on back there? Was this some kind of joke? </p><p>“We are at the Young Wing Park in the middle of Yellow Wood. But wait, are you really coming?”, Jae questioned, maybe to be sure that he hadn’t misinterpreted the young royal. “Yes. Otherwise I wouldn’t ask. See you in a few”, Changbin answered, being a little fed up now and wanted to hang up the call but Jae’s “Stop stop stop. Don’t hang up” let him stop the motion of his finger just before it hit the hang-up button. </p><p>“I should tell you that Wonpil brought one of his brothers along. Just that you know”, Jae told the vampire. “I got no problem with that so see you”, Changbin responded and ended the call without waiting. Actually he did have a little bit of a problem with that but if it was just Wonpil’s little brother what did he have to fear? Wonpil was probably one of the nicest and funniest people he knew. His brother couldn’t be much different. </p><p>The vampire put his phone back on the table and got up from the couch to walk upstairs to his room. The stair case was connected with the living room and kept in a rather dark color, letting it seem like you were walking into the darkness despite the whole castle being lit by magical candles that reacted to claps. </p><p>Changbin walked up the stairs turning right immediately after, entering a little corridor with multiple doors. The first floor of the castle had a lot of bed rooms but also some bathrooms along with one little living room. Changbin’s room was the first room to the right. </p><p>The young vampire’s room just screamed vampire royalty with the red and black furniture and golden designs on them. The young prince went to his walk-in closet and opened it. Changbin’s cloths weren’t all black like a lot of people would think if they saw him at school or generally in public. He had a lot of colors in his closet, from pink to baby blue to forest green but he preferred to wear black cloths when he went outside since it didn’t draw much attention to him. </p><p>Right now though Changbin was wearing a oversized pink pullover with white sweatpants and he really didn’t want to go outside this way. He picked a black ripped jeans, a black pullover and his favorite black leather jacket as his outfit. He changed into the black cloths, got his wallet and keys from his school bag, putting them into the pockets of jacket and walked down the stairs again to get his phone. After he got all of that, he walked out of the gigantic front doors. </p><p>The dark castle Changbin called his home had a certain elegance and power when you looked at it. It was located in a little forest on the edge of the little city called Yellow Wood and was known by children as a place where lost souls could eat you alive. To Changbin the castle felt empty and cold most of the time because he was often in there alone. After all Jae, his “babysitter” and the person his parents assigned to him to keep him company, was busy with university, resulting in him being busy a lot.   </p><p>With a sigh the boy locked the massive, black doors of the castle and began running with a supernatural speed that was common for vampires. It didn’t take him long to get to the heart of Yellow Wood, where the Young Wing park was located. It was already dark but the night sky was crystal clear. Thousands of stars were shining and made the dark night less scary. </p><p>Changbin walked in now normal speed into the park. He felt kind of crept out by the silence and coldness of the place even though he shouldn’t be as a vampire. “Jae?”, Changbin  called out but there was no answer. The vampire huffed in annoyance because of that. Did Jae and his friends prank him or was this one of Jae’s bad jokes? </p><p>“Park Jaehyung , I promise to rip your head off if this is a joke”, Changbin called out again and made sure that it was loud. He didn’t like jokes like that because behind a strong facade Changbin got really scared when he had to search for someone alone in the dark. </p><p>“Okay okay”, someone said and came out of hiding behind a tree which was nearby. A blond male with the glasses had raised his hands in surrender and slowly walked over to Changbin. It was Jae. </p><p>Changbin snorted when he saw the older vampire and put his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, playing nervously with his keys while trying to seem like he was pissed. Internally he was glad that Jae gave up so quickly. He didn’t want to be scared today. </p><p>“Where is the rest?”, the Changbin asked. Jae just shrugged as an answer. “Didn’t look where everybody hid”, the older vampire said casually and pushed his round glasses back up his nose. Changbin really asked himself why he had come here, he should have stayed home and saved himself from the childish behavior of Jae and his friends. Why did his parents even send Jae out of all vampires to keep him company when he was clearly not qualified? </p><p>Suddenly the black-haired vampire heard something behind him. He turned around in lightning speed and punched whoever it was in the face. The person fell backwards and held his nose while cursing. It was Kang Younghyun, one of Jae’s friends and another vampire that often visited Changbin along with Yoon Dowoon, another one of Jae’s friends. </p><p>Jae laughed but he wasn’t the only one. Changbin heard laughing coming from the branches of a tree near by but whoever was laughing, wasn’t doing that for long because something cracked and shortly after that two young men fell down from the tree. Those were Dowoon and Kim Wonpil, which Changbin got to know through Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon.</p><p>Jae laughed even harder now and was joined by the two idiots that feel out of the tree. Good to know that they weren’t hurt even though it wasn’t clear why they were laughing. Maybe because Changbin punched Younghyun in the face or maybe because of their own stupidity, which lead to them falling out of a tree. </p><p>Changbin just sighed and asked himself how he had ended up with people that were older than him but a lot more childish. “Hey don’t sigh like that. I have to put up with those four idiots all the time”, Changbin heard someone say. He turned around to see Sungjin, a male werewolf who had his hands on his hip which made him look like a mother. Beside him was another male with red hair. He seemed younger than the rest. Even younger than Changbin himself but the vampire prince knew right away that this must be Wonpil’s younger brother. They looked very similar with their blood red hair and dark eyes but he seemed familiar to Changbin, like he knew the redhead from somewhere but the vampire prince couldn’t really say why. </p><p>“That’s Seungmin by the way, Wonpil’s younger brother. You maybe know him. You go the same school”, Sungjin introduced the young redhead. “Nice to meet you. I a-“, Changbin wanted to introduce himself but he was interrupted by Seungmin. “I already know who you are”, the redhead said and smiled lightly. That smile seemed a little sarcastic to Changbin, making him think that the younger was pretty rude. </p><p>Jae, Wonpil and Dowoon’s laughter died down after a little while. In the meantime Younghyun sat up and rubbed his now healed nose. It still hurt though. A vampire’s healing powers were fast with healing wounds you could see with the open eye but they continued to hurt a little while longer. </p><p>“You know, Changbin. You could have put a little bit less strength into that punch”, Younghyun complained, rubbing his nose a little bit. “Well I didn’t know it was you. It could have been an enemy so I punched hard”, Changbin scoffed, having little sympathy for the older because he had been scared by the older sneaking up to him if he was honest. </p><p>“Good boy. I taught you well”, Jae praised and patted Changbin’s head. The younger vampire glared at the older and Jae immediately removed his hand from Changbin’s head. The others laughed at that. </p><p>The group decided to go back to the pick-nick blanket Sungjin had brought with him to sit down and continued to talk and joke around there. The cold bothered none of them. Sungjin had a pretty good body heat as a werewolf and the two Sanctus brothers wore quite warm cloths. </p><p>Changbin was one of the few people that knew that Wonpil was a demon, so he assumed that Seungmin was one too but he didn’t bother asking the younger while they talked in the group. Wonpil had been pretty secretive about his real species for a long time but told his friends and Changbin that he was a real demon around a year ago. It was something that proved how much he trusted them. Back then Changbin had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that demons were a real thing but just knowing Wonpil’s character helped him with that since the redhead was one of the nicest, most caring people Changbin knew, despite him begin a bit goofy and childish at times. </p><p>After that he just felt honored that he knew Wonpil’s secret while the rest of the people that knew the redhead assumed that he was a warlock because of his hair and magic powers but who could blame them? In all of his documents Wonpil was marked down as a warlock. </p><p>The conversations died down after a while and a comfortable silence fell over the seven. Wonpil was laying on the blanket with his head resting on Dowoon’s lap and his eyes closed. On the older demon’s stomach was Seungmin’s head who was slowly dozing off. The younger redhead looked really peaceful, almost cute while he was sleeping but when he was awake he was the absolute opposite. He was a troublemaker even Changbin already knew that from the previous conversations. He figured that the little redhead was probably one of the people that occasionally pulled huge pranks on certain groups of people. It made Changbin wonder if Seungmin was even the one, who pulled the pink liquid prank on him and the vampires that follow him around in the breaks.  </p><p>Changbin lightly shook his head, shooing that thought away and took his eyes off the sleeping redhead before he got called out for it by Jae. Maybe the reason that didn’t happen was that Dowoon was currently looking down at Wonpil, who had his head on his lap, like he was something very precious while he was gently running his fingers through the demon’s red hair. Younghyun hit Jae’s shoulder very often to keep the blond from saying something about the two and disturb their moment because apparently the rest thought this was really adorable and shouldn’t be disturbed. </p><p>In the end Jae laid down like Wonpil and had his head on Younghyun’s lap so he had to keep his mouth shut. Changbin was wide awake while the rest seemed to slowly doze off and looked up to the stars. It felt so peaceful but the most important thing to him was that had people around him. He wasn’t alone like he would be back at home. A little smile made it’s way onto Changbin’s lips. “It could stay like that”, he thought to himself. </p><p>The young vampire jumped a little bit when he felt someone’s arms slither around his stomach. It was Sungjin. “You look cold”, the werwolf mumbled while he dragged Changbin a little closer to him, so they both could be comfortable. The vampire didn’t mind that, so he let it happen. </p><p>“I am not. Not really”, Changbin whispered so he wouldn’t disturb the others. Sungjin laid his head on the vampire’s shoulder. “Then my gut feeling was wrong but this is comfortable”, he answered in a quiet voice. Changbin nodded and laid back a little so his back and shoulders rested on Sungjin’s chest. This really was comfortable and Sungjin made Changbin feel warm even though his body temperature stayed the same. </p><p>Ever since Changbin got to know Sungjin he really wished he could have an older brother just like him. He had such a caring and protective nature it let you feel safe all the time. You could say that he was the real babysitter among Jae’s friends and probably the most mature one too since he was always the one, who thought ahead and took care of little but important things like bringing a blanket to the park. </p><p>“I really wish you were my brother”, Changbin mumbled almost to himself. He could feel the werewolf laugh lightly but then he tightened his grip on Changbin just a bit more. “You would be nice little brother”, Sungjin replied and Changbin could hear the smile in his voice, making the vampire prince smile too. </p><p>To Changbin’s dismay they all had to go home at some point. They would have to go to school and university tomorrow. Dowoon was not very happy about the fact that they had to wake up Wonpil but in the end he did it himself because like hell would he have let Jae do that. The only one that they let continue sleeping was Seungmin mainly because Wonpil thought it was unnecessary to wake him if he could just carry the younger home and that was what he did. Dowoon went with Wonpil to make sure the two brothers would come home safe but it was obvious that he just wanted to be with Wonpil a little while longer. </p><p>“Should we bring you home? I mean I know you can take care of yourself. I felt that today but I figured we should ask”, Younghyun asked Changbin after Dowoon, Wonpil and Seungmin were already gone. The vampire prince shook his head. “I am fine but thanks for inviting me today”, he thanked the older males. They smiled a little after hearing that. “I will call you again if you pick up”, Jae commented and ruffled Changbin ’s hair. This time the young vampire just let it happen. With that said the four parted ways. </p><p>Changbin ran all the way up to the dark castle in his supernatural speed. He unlocked the front door and entered the house, letting the doors fall shut behind him. The halls were dark and they felt cold, like always when Changbin came home. He felt lonely and the warmth he had felt when Sungjin had hugged him was gone. He stood there in the middle of the entering hall. He could hear nothing. No wind, no bird, just nothing. He hated it. He hated this feeling of being alone and somehow regretted having turned down the offer of being brought home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Jisung and visions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung has to deal with his stupid visions and his terrible uncle. Neither goes well.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was Thursday when it began to snow. It covered Yellow Wood under a light white blanket of snow over night, which let some creatures wish they had taken out their winter coats sooner. Jisung was walking on his own to school because Seungmin kind of ditched him because he said that he needed to prove something and just ran off leaving the blue-haired warlock by himself. He was kind of used to Seungmin doing this but that didn’t mean he was okay with it. It sometimes really hurt to be just ditched by your best friend. </p><p>“Hello, squirrel”, he heard a voice beside his ear and he immediately jumped to the side in fright. It must have been Jisung’s luck because he also tripped and nearly fell onto the cold, snowy ground but someone kept him from it by grabbing his hand and pulling him up, holding him until he regained his balance. Jisung looked at the person, who had caused his fall but also saved him from hitting the ground. It was non other than Lee Minho. </p><p>“Minho-hyung you scared me and when will you stop calling me squirrel?”, the warlock complained and lightly hit the older’s shoulder in protest. Minho just laughed as response. It sounded sincere and honest and cute, which made Jisung seriously debate between hitting Minho again for laughing or internally dying because his laugh was adorable and he looked so much more handsome while he was laughing even though that sounded funny. </p><p>It took Jisung a little too long to decide because Minho slowly stopped laughing and started to smirk because the younger was kind of staring at him. “Like what you see, cutie?”, he teased. Jisung looked away immediately. “Nope”, he answered while trying very hard to hide his slowly rising blush by just walking a bit faster. He hadn’t know Minho for too long but sometimes the cat hybrid called him cutie randomly and he had no idea how to react to that or even how to interpret it but the warlock also questioned why Minho managed to always catch him off guard. </p><p>“Are you blushing, squirrel?” Minho teased Jisung again, matching his faster easily. The warlock hit his shoulder again. “I’m not blushing, not even remotely”, the blue-haired male denied, crossing his arms over his chest and looking to the ground. He was obviously lying but when Minho would continue teasing him he would make the cold responsible for his rosy cheeks but the cat hybrid just laughed again, which only made it harder for Jisung to hide that he was flustered.</p><p>After a while of just walking beside each other, Jisung noticed that Felix was nowhere to be seen. Normally Minho and Felix went nearly everywhere together like they were connected by the hip. “Where is Felix? Is he sick or something?”, he asked Minho, looking at the older. “Oh, he caught a cold. Nothing too serious, happens every year around this time”, Minho answered casually, seemingly being not very worried about his younger brother. The blue-haired warlock made an “Oh” sound. “I hope he gets well soon”, he added, looking back at the way ahead but still glancing at Minho for a short moment. “Me too. A sick Felix is a very clingy Felix”, Minho agreed, chuckling a little bit. Jisung couldn’t help but laugh a little too. </p><p>The two continued to talk about random things until they reached the school building and had to part ways to go to their classes. If Jisung was honest with himself if Minho didn’t tease him he really liked talking with the older male. It was different when he talked with Seungmin since they alway goofed around or planned a new prank but with Minho he could just talk over things that randomly came to his mind and the older would listen with an adorable little smile on his face like he was really interested in the things Jisung told him. </p><p>When Jisung arrived at the classroom Seungmin was already seated at his spot, talking with Hyunjin and Jeongin a little bit. Jisung just join them, greeting all three with a little smile while ignoring the feeling of being replaced, which loomed over his heart like a curse. Seungmin would never replace him. They had been friends for far to long. </p><p>At break Jisung, Seungmin, Hyunjin and Jeongin met up with Chan, Byungho and Minho, who were already seated at the table they usually sat at when the younger four arrived. Jisung sat down next to Minho for once because Felix wasn’t here, leaving the spot to Minho’s right free.</p><p>Jisung couldn’t remember how but over the last two weeks he spend a lot of time with this little group and they kind of became friends or at least they became familiar with each other. Seungmin seemed to like to be friends with Hyunjin and Jeongin and didn’t mind spending time with his older brother Byungho. Sometimes they were joined by Samuel too. </p><p>Jisung didn’t really know how he felt about Samuel’s sudden appearance since for a long time he had thought that Seungmin was the youngest one of his siblings but apparently he was wrong about that and the redhead just never talked about his younger brother. Still, the strangest thing was that Samuel was a siren and not a warlock like Seungmin and Byungho, which made Jisung question which of Seungmin’s parents was a siren but then why would Seungmin be excited to have a siren like Hyunjin in his class. This was overall confusing for Jisung but over the years of being friends with Seungmin they had made this unspoken rule of not questioning the other or talk about things like family. </p><p>The young warlock lightly shook his head to finally focus on the things in front of him. He knew Seungmin was a good guy and would never harm him intentionally, so why should he worry so much about the redhead having secrets. </p><p>“Everything, alright?”, he heard Minho ask quietly beside him. Jisung looked to the cat hybrid, who seemed a little bit worried, which let Jisung’s chest feel unusually warm. “I am. Don’t worry”, he answered and smiled a little bit to show Minho that he really was okay. The cat hybrid still seemed a bit worried but didn’t ask again and focused back on the main conversation of the group, which was basically Hyunjin whining because of how hard Math was. </p><p>“Chan please help”, Hyunjin whined, looking at the wolf hybrid with pleading eyes. Chan seemed like he had a hard time saying no to the siren. “Please help with with math. I know you are good at it”, Hyunjin continued to whine. “I’m not that good. Mr. Sohn is just an amazing teacher”, the wolf hybrid argued. Byungho lightly shook his head that, sipping on his drink. </p><p>“Please can’t you help me study for the next test even though we have another math teacher? I sucked at the last test and my mum will kill me if I do bad at the next one too”, the siren almost begged. Chan sighed in surrender. “Alright I will help you”, the wolf hybrid finally gave in. Hyunjin’s eyes lit up immediately. “Thank you so much, hyung”, the siren thanked the wolf hybrid and smiled brightly. Chan couldn’t help but smile lightly too. </p><p>Jisung had no clue if that was really the only thing they had talked about when he spaced out but it seemed like it. The warlock let his eyes wander over the group a little bit until his eyes fell onto Seungmin, who seemed to be on the look out for someone but who? </p><p>————————————</p><p>Seungmin looked around the cafeteria while the others talked with each other. The redhead was looking for a certain vampire. He spotted him sitting among the others vampires on their usual table. </p><p>“Is something wrong, Seungmin?“ the redhead heard Jisung ask. The redhead turned his attention to Jisung. He didn’t get what Jisung was saying at first but realized that his friend was worried a little bit when he looked into the warlock’s blue eyes. </p><p>“I am fine, don’t worry. I was just thinking about something”, Seungmin responded and smiled, reassuring his best friend that he was entirely fine. He felt someone’s eyes on him while he talked with Jisung. It was Jeongin. “And why were you staring at the vampires?”, the kitsune asked. Seungmin turned his head to look at Jeongin who was seated beside him. </p><p>Even after just two weeks of knowing the kitsune Seungmin had noticed that Jeongin was very attentive and a good observer. It was almost scary how much he could figure out just by quietly sitting near someone but it was also somehow thrilling for Seungmin. Jeongin was probably one of the few creatures that could actually pick up on things Seungmin, who usually prided himself with seeing and knowing a lot, missed. Maybe Jeongin could even help him a little with his current problem. </p><p>Ever since Seungmin met Seo Changbin last sunday he felt like he didn’t know certain things about the vampire even though he had kept an eye on him for a longer time now. He had all the vampires, who didn’t belong to any group, clan etc. under complete control and always seemed to cold and untouchable, which made him to a fun target in Seungmin’s opinion but now the redhead knew that there was more to the quiet vampire. The way he had interacted with Wonpil and his friends was so different from the way he behaved at school. </p><p>“I met one of the vampires last sunday and something about him seemed just over all different”, Seungmin answered, honestly. “Which one exactly?”, Hyunjin asked, looking over to the table of the vampires for a brief moment. “The short one with the black hair and eyes and the black leather jacket”, Seungmin quickly described Changbin. </p><p> “You mean Seo Changbin? The one who is in the same class with Byungho, Minho and me?”, Chan chimed in, having pick up on the conversation about the vampires. Seungmin nodded. “In which way is he different? He seems like a normal, rude and arrogant vampire to me”, Minho noted and crossed his arms. Seungmin knew Minho didn’t like vampires very much ever since he set a foot into Miroh High but that reaction was almost childish. </p><p>“It’s not about species. It’s about character, power and aura. He has all the vampires sitting with him under complete control. Ever asked yourself why”, Seungmin responded sassily and slightly rolled his eyes. “That’s a myth. He sure as hell doesn’t have Ryan under his control” Minho scoffed. Seungmin bit back a snarky comment at that. </p><p>Somehow Seungmin always managed to disagree with Minho in some way and neither could really say why. It seemed like they clashed together naturally on a daily base but it wasn’t as bad as some might think. They never really argued, just often sassed each other.</p><p>The talk about Changbin and vampires carried on and at one point Seungmin noticed how Jisung became unnatural quiet. Normally the warlock was one of the louder ones, who joked a lot but right now it seemed like he had spaced out. He kept his head up by laying it onto his palm like he it was to heavy to be held up on his own. That was the point where Seungmin saw that blue sparks, which began to tingle on the warlock’s fingertips and they became more and more with each passing second. </p><p>Seungmin got up immediately after realizing the state of his best friend and rushed to his side. “Minho get away from him now”, the redhead demanded and for once Minho listened to Seungmin without questioning anything and did what he said. </p><p>“What’s wrong?”, Jisung asked, looking at Seungmin with cloudy eyes. “Look at your hands”, Seungmin simply answered while he already came up with a plan on how do deal with this. Jisung looked at his hands, seeing the blue sparkles. “Not again”, the warlock mumbled and almost just dropped onto the table if it wasn’t for Seungmin catching his head and gently putting it down. </p><p>“What’s wrong with him?”, Minho asked, who was standing a little bit away from Jisung. Seungmin looked up, seeing that everyone on the table was pretty worried about the blue-haired warlock. </p><p>“He’s having a vision”, Seungmin explained and got away from Jisung when the warlock began to slowly get surrounded by some kind of light blue shield. Without listening to the others any further Seungmin began running around the table while mumbling the words for an illusion spell. It was a very strong one, which Seungmin had learned for situations like this. The illusion would let everybody in the cafeteria believe nothing was happening here. </p><p>“What’s happening to him?”, Chan asked clearly worried about the young warlock. “He is having a vision like Seungmin said”, Byungho answered instead of Seungmin because the redhead was busy dealing with the illusion spell. Internally Seungmin thanked his brother for the little help. Chan looked at Byungho like he was mad. </p><p>“No warlock has visions like that”, the wolf hybrid declared, gesturing to Jisung, who seemed to be in pain. He was sometimes turning his head and had a pained expression on his face. “Can we do anything to help?”, Hyunjin asked, anxiously biting his nails. Byungho shook his head. “We can just wait”, he said gloomily. Jisung began to hold his head and sometimes mumble something while his forehead was pressed against the surface of table. </p><p>Seungmin finished setting up the spell and looked at his best friend. The blue-haired warlock was still surrounded by the little blue shield which kept him protected from everything and everyone. Suddenly Jisung let his arms fall to his sides. Not a second after that the shield was fading and Jisung just slumped down completely, making him almost fall from the table if it wasn’t for Seungmin’s and Minho’s quick reactions. Seungmin had grabbed the warlock’s arm while Minho was holding his shoulders, letting Jisung’s head lean against his chest.  </p><p>Seungmin released a breath and let the illusion spell disappear too. Nobody in the cafeteria really noticed anything but there were still some mumbles like always. “We need to take him to the nurse so he can rest”, Seungmin said and looked up to Minho. The cat hybrid with the light brown hair mustered Jisung’s unconscious form, which he was keeping from falling by letting him lean against him, before he meet the dark eyes of the redhead. “Alright”, Minho said more to himself than to Seungmin. </p><p>That was one of the few times that Seungmin really appreciated having Minho around. The redhead moved away from Jisung, so Minho could pick the warlock up. “The rest of you stays here. Too many people around means stress for him”, Seungmin explained to the others who obliviously wanted to tag along. Hyunjin in particular didn’t seem happy about that but he listened to Seungmin. </p><p>The redhead led Minho out of the cafeteria and to the nurse office. The nurse was a pretty and young female warlock named Shiela with light blue eyes and long silver hair, which she always wore in a bun. She already knew Seungmin and Jisung because this wasn’t the first time Jisung had a vision while he was at school, which was why she instructed Minho to just lay the unconscious warlock down on one of the beds shortly after they entered. </p><p>“Do I need to ask what knocked Jisung out?”, she asked and looked at Seungmin. “He had a vision again”, the redhead responded with a light shake of his head. Shiela sighed at that. “Alright then he just needs a quiet room, some rest and a friend by his side”, she said and got a chair from the other end of the room and placed it by the side of Jisung’s bed. “But this time not you, Seungmin. You know why”, she continued, looking at the redhead. Her light blue eyes had a quite stern look in them, letting Seungmin know that there was no way she would let him stay. </p><p>The last time Jisung had a vision in school and Seungmin dragged him to the nurse office he had reacted strangely to Seungmin’s pure presence. He had continued to mumble “Help” and “Go away” like he was scared of his best friend. Shiela had said that it could be because of the strong magical energy that surrounded Seungmin and that it would be better if he wouldn’t accompany Jisung anymore when he was going through the after effects of his vision.</p><p>Remembering all of that Seungmin nodded and looked on the ground. He wanted to stay with Jisung but knew it wasn’t good for him. The nurse walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. </p><p>“I know it’s not your fault and you only want to help but you do him a favor by not staying by with him right now”, Shiela comforted the boy. The redhead raised his gaze and nodded again. His eyes wandered to Minho. “You better take care of him. I will explain this mess to the rest, so see you later”, Seungmin said and walked out of the room without waiting for an answer from the cat hybrid. If he had to leave Jisung in the care of someone else to keep him safe he would allow it. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>Minho didn’t understand anything. What did just happen? Shiela smiled when the cat hybrid’s puzzled looking eyes fell on her. “Just sit down beside the bed and react like he is awake when he starts to call out names”, she said and guided Minho to the chair. “And if he reaches his hand out, take it. The warmth makes him feel like he isn’t alone. I will be back in half an hour and I will excuse you and Jisung from your lessons”, she added and left the room. </p><p>Now the cat hybrid was alone with Jisung. He sat down on the chair and mustered the warlock’s unconscious form again. The blue-haired male seemed relaxed and peaceful like he was just sleeping. His chest rise and fell with every breath he took. Minho listened to Jisung steady breathing while he looked at the younger’s face. His features looked adorable like always, especially his puffy cheeks and light red lips that contrasted his fair skin. </p><p>Suddenly Jisung grimaced like he saw something he didn’t like. “Mum, no .... Seungmin”, he started to mumble and turned his head around a couple of times. Minho took that as his cue to take Jisung’s hand even though he hadn’t reached out to him yet. “I am not Seungmin but Minho”, the cat hybrid said in a soft voice, trying not to startle the warlock. Jisung’s face features relaxed and he mumbled Minho’s name again, which made the cat hybrid subconsciously smile a little. </p><p>“I like Minho”, Jisung mumbled, which kind of surprised the older male but then he started to grin. “Oh, really? In which way?”, the cat hybrid asked in a teasing way. Jisung turned his head again so it was like he was facing Minho even though he was still unconscious and had his eyes closed. </p><p>“I don’t know”, the warlock answered and frowned. “He is nice, kind, cute, funny, handsome, adorable, caring, sometimes sassy, wonderful ... special”, he began to list some adjectives for the older but he slightly paused before he said that Minho was special. The cat hybrid was kind of stunned and just stared at Jisung. Did he mean that or was he just talking nonsense?</p><p>Minho was ripped out of his thoughts when he felt Jisung lightly squeezing his hand. He looked down at their hands. Minho’s hand was a tad bigger than Jisung’s and not so delicate. It seemed like he was holding a doll’s hand if he looked at the fair skin and thin fingers. </p><p>“I’m scared. I want Minho to stay but what if he leaves me like everyone else?“ Jisung mumbled. Minho looked back to Jisung’s face again. Why would he ever leave this cute little squirrel? “I won’t leave you, I promise”, he promised and rubbed his thumb over the back of Jisung’s hand. The young warlock smiled lazily, showing his front teeth a little bit. “Thank you”, he breathed out. Jisung was silent after that but he still tightly held Minho’s hand. </p><p>The cat hybrid let the few things Jisung said sink in. The thing that concerned him the most was that the young warlock felt like he was left by everybody. Minho didn’t know much about the younger male’s family and why Jisung seemed to even felt left by Seungmin, his best friend. Whatever his reasons were Minho wouldn’t leave Jisung. Ever. </p><p>————————————————</p><p>Jisung came back to class in the fifth lesson. He seemed absolutely fine, which was a huge relief for Hyunjin and maybe also Jeongin but he didn’t show much of a reaction. Hyunjin still bombarded the warlock with questions he wasn’t even fast enough to answer before he got to the next one. The young warlock remembered nothing after he blanked out from his vision and he had no idea what he said to Minho, who was the first face he saw after waking up in the nurse office.</p><p>After school the friends met at the gate to more or less walk home together. Jisung needed to walk into a different direction pretty quickly so he casually said goodbye to his friends and reassured them that he was totally fine and could walk home by himself. Even though Hyunjin and Chan protested the warlock somehow convinced them to let him go alone. Seungmin maybe helped him a little bit. After all Seungmin had dealt with Jisung’s vision longer than them. The warlock was thankful that the redhead had his back in situations like that even though he could never fully tell the other why. </p><p>A little tired but thankfully by himself Jisung walked down the streets of Yellow Wood for a rather long time. He headed to a rather suspicious-looking house complex. It looked rundown and the people there also didn’t look really friendly but he was used to all of it. The young warlock walked passed the people quickly without making eye contact and walked up the metallic stairs to the third floor of the run down building. He fished his keys out of his jacket pocket while walking, resulting in him nearly tripped over an empty beer bottle but he caught himself quickly enough. Jisung went up to the door of his so called home and unlocked it with his key. He entered the little flat and closed the door quietly behind him. </p><p>The flat Jisung just entered wasn’t really nice to look at. Besides the room Jisung was standing in were three more. Jisung’s room, his uncle’s room and the little bathroom. The little kitchen was to Jisung’s left and in front of the warlock was the very small living room with just a rather ugly looking couch and a little, old TV. </p><p>Jisung took off his shoes quietly and then tiptoed into his room since he really didn’t want to wake his uncle or get his attention. He quietly closed his room door and then he released a breath while throwing his backpack on the chair in front of his desk before he dropped himself on his bed. It made a squeaking sound and the young warlock regretted his action instantly because his bed was really too hard for this kind of stuff but he refused to accept that, letting him repeat the same action every time he came here. </p><p>The blue-haired warlock just laid there for some time. Some pictures from his vision flashed before his inner eye but he couldn’t properly register them. He hated it when he had a vision. They never did him any good. They never showed him anything useful or showed him anything clearly. </p><p>With a frustrated huff he pushed himself up again. “I need to do my homework”, he thought to himself and stood up to get to his desk, which was a very simple wooden desk he had to fix multiple times over his time in school. He finally took off his scarf, hanging it over the back of the old chair, which stood in front of desk and then his coat and simply dropped it onto the bed.</p><p>He grabbed his backpack and sat down on the old chair, putting his things on his desk and started to do his homework. Maths was a pain in the ass like always but it needed to be done if you didn’t want to fail the class. The potions and spells’ homework was more fun to do. </p><p>Jisung had potions and spells’ together with Seungmin and Jeongin because the two were also creatures with magic powers. The blue-haired male was the best with potions out of the three. He had a talent for potions but he wasn’t bad at spells either, just not a “spell genius” like Seungmin and Jeongin. Sometimes it was kind of upsetting how easily Jeongin and Seungmin could learn a new spell in just one lesson while he needed to practice at home a lot. </p><p>The young warlock sighed when he was finished with his math homework and leaned back carefully, so he couldn’t break his chair. Now he just needed to practice the spell they learned last time in spells and potions and then he was finished for today. Jisung just wanted to start practicing when he heard the front door being opened and the chatter of two persons. Both seemed to be older male and Jisung already recognized one as his uncle’s voice. </p><p>“Just sit down. I will get him”, he heard his uncle say and he instantly knew, that he meant him. Jisung’s room door was opened by an older man in his mid forties with green hair, an untended beard and tired looking brown eyes. He was Jisung’s uncle from his father’s side, named Ro Kanho. </p><p>“There is someone I want you to meet so get out of here”, his uncle said. Jisung already wanted to run away but he knew he wouldn’t get far. He hesitantly got up from his chair and followed his uncle out of his room. In the small living room on the couch sat a man in a fancy suit, which was a huge contrast to the rest of the run down flat, especially the ugly couch he was sitting on. </p><p>“So this is little Jisungie?”, the man said and smiled, showing two rows of perfect white teeth along with two long vampire fangs. Jisung’s uncle nodded and slightly pushed the young male into the direction of the man. The man just whistled when he mustered the young male, making Jisung feel like a goddamned animal in a zoo. </p><p>“He really has a lot of similarities with his mother especially the dark blue hair and sky blue eyes”, the man complimented. Jisung protectively crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from the man. Why was he suddenly compared to his mother? The only memory the young warlock had of her was how she walked out of the door of their former flat and slammed said door into his face. Where this man knew his mother from was a mystery to the young warlock but he didn’t really care. He thought his mother didn’t want him, so why should he care who she was and which people she knew? And his father wasn’t better. He ignored his son ever since he was born and in the end gave him to his brother shortly after Jisung’s mother left him to go somewhere else with his new girlfriend.</p><p> “Yeah my brother has a really good taste in women”, Jisung’s uncle laughed. “Can I go now? I need to finish my homework”, Jisung mumbled, hoping that maybe his uncle would let him go for today. He felt overall uncomfortable, was tired and just wanted to be left alone. </p><p>“Well I would like to talk a little bit more with you, Jisungie”, the unknown vampire said and smiled again, showing his white fangs. Jisung ran a cold shiver down his spine. The way the man used a nickname to refer to him and the way he smiled so wide that his fangs were showing, made Jisung feel like that the man hid something terrible. He just wanted to go back into his room. </p><p>“Yeah. You can do your homework later. Your grades are good anyway”, his uncle agreed and something in his tone told Jisung to keep his mouth shut. His uncle guided the young warlock to the couch and sat him down beside the man, who was still smiling, before he went into the kitchen to get drinks. Jisung just wanted to get far away from this man but he knew better than to disobey his uncle. </p><p>“So, are you a good student?”, the man started to small talk and looked at Jisung like he was expecting something. “Average”, Jisung answered shortly, mentally making a humorless joke about the fact that his uncle had no idea how he was doing in school. He never cared to ask. </p><p>Kanho came back from the kitchen with three glasses. Two were filled with beer and one with water. Of course Jisung got the water, that was the little bit of responsibility his uncle felt towards him. </p><p>“Average doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”, the man said and patted Jisung’s thigh. Jisung hated it. He hated it so much. Jisung’s uncle just laughed along with the other man while he got himself a chair to sit and drank his beer. </p><p>The man let his hand rest on Jisung’s thigh. Jisung felt the coldness of the man’s hand sicker through the fabric of his pants, making him feel even more uneasy but neither of the two older men took notice of that, so Jisung decided to try to speak up. </p><p>“Could you take your hand off my thigh, please? It’s making me feel uncomfortable”, Jisung said in a unintentional quiet voice while he griped the glass of water in his hands a little harder. He asked this really politely to hopefully not anger the two men but his voice seemed so small it made him sound weak. The two men looked at Jisung. Jisung’s uncle looked almost angry but he said nothing, probably waiting for his guest’s reply. </p><p>“Well I guess we don’t want little Jisung to feel uncomfortable do we?”, the man said and took his hand off Jisung’s thigh. The young warlock felt relived, being glad it didn’t end badly. The two men continued to talk to each other. Jisung listened halfheartedly to their conversation while sometimes sipping on his water out of boredom. </p><p>After a while Jisung felt kind of dizzy and sleepy. Maybe another after effect from his vision? But that wouldn’t make sense and he knew from experience that this shouldn’t happen. </p><p>“What’s wrong, Jisung?”, he heard his uncle ask. “I just feel dizzy and sleepy”, the young male answered truthfully. Jisung felt his eyelids getting heavier by each passing minute. “Oh no”, he heard the man beside him say and again Jisung felt the coldness of the man’s hand on his thigh. </p><p>The way the man said that was enough to let something in Jisung’s head click. Something was in the water. This was planned. Jisung dropped his glass and tried to get up but his body wasn’t listening to him anymore. He was now at the mercy of his uncle and the vampire in the suit whose name he still didn’t know. The eyes of the warlock forcefully fell shut and he was beyond scared.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. About families and deals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minho and Byungho having to deal with their little brothers and Changbin figuring something out.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hyung”, Felix called for his brother. Minho was downstairs but heard his brother, who was in his room anyway because of his cat ears. He was doing his school work on the dining table because he had more space there than on his desk in his room. The older male sighed but got up to walk upstairs to his brother's room. </p><p>“What’s wrong, Felix?”, Minho asked, while he was opening the door to the younger’s room. Felix sat up on his bed. He looked like a mess. His orange hair stuck in every direction and his cheeks had a sick red tint while his eyes weren’t even fully open. </p><p>The younger cat hybrid reached his arms out. "I want to cuddle", he whined like a little child. "Felix you are sick. I will probably get sick too if I cuddle with you", Minho chuckled and leaned on the door’s frame. Felix pouted and let his arms drop again. </p><p>The older sighed and walked over to Felix to his finger’s run through his brother’s messy hair. Felix leaned into the touch like a cat and closed his eyes, letting a soft purring sound erupt from his throat. Minho couldn’t help but lightly smile at this action but judging by the younger’s messy and also a bit greasy hair he could use a shower. Maybe also something light to eat afterwards. </p><p>"You should shower and change your clothes. I will make something to eat in the meantime", Minho suggested and took his hand out of Felix's hair. The younger murmured a little bit when Minho stopped running his fingers through his hair and tiredly nodded. He threw the covers to one side and robbed to the edge of his bed. Minho chuckled lightly at his brother before he walked downstairs again. He went into the kitchen and looked around. What could he possibly cook for his sick little brother? He settled on a simple noodle soup since it was easy to make. </p><p>Felix came downstairs after twenty minutes in new clothes and with damp hair. “Taking a shower was a good idea, hyung”, he commented when he walked into the kitchen. “I know”, Minho responded and grinned when he turned off the stove because the noodle soup was finished. </p><p>The two brothers ate together and decided to watch a movie in the living room after Felix took his medicine. The younger cuddled up to Minho in the middle of the movie and the older did nothing against it, despite his previous argument. Before the movie had finished Felix fell asleep, covered in a soft blanket and comfortably curled up on Minho's side. The older had let his hand run through the younger's orange hair throughout half of the movie, which had caused Felix to lightly purr again but now it had died down, meaning Felix was sleeping like a rock. </p><p>Minho grabbed the remote with his free hand and turned off the TV. He looked down to his sleeping brother, who looked like an little angel while wandering in dreamland. But seeing his little brother sleep so peacefully left Minho with only two options: He could stay in his current position and try to sleep too, which would probably result in a lot of neck pain tomorrow or he could try to lift Felix up and carry him to his room without waking him. The older cat hybrid went for the second option because he was pretty sure that Felix wouldn't wake up even when the house was lit on fire. He carefully detached himself from Felix and picked the younger up like a bride. The older male carried Felix to his room and tucked him into bed before going to his own room. </p><p>The cat hybrid changed into his pajama and crawled into his bed. He took his phone from his nightstand and turned the display on. It showed that his mother messaged him, asking how Felix was doing now and if the medicine she had suggested helped. Minho tipped in his password and opened the chat with his mother to write her that the medicine really helped Felix and that he was now sleeping like a rock. After he pressed send he looked through his other chats. In the chat with all of his school friends were just a lot of get well soon wishes for Felix. </p><p>Minho noticed that Jisung didn't write anything today. Normally he would write literally everything he did. Maybe the warlock went to bed after he arrived at his house? He must have been pretty exhausted after all. The cat hybrid decided to ask the warlock tomorrow. He turned his phone off and put it on his nightstand before he let his tiredness take over him. </p><p>————————————————</p><p>“Byungho! Wake up now!”, the brown-haired male heard Seungmin yell from outside of his room. It was Friday morning and Byungho just regretted staying up late to study yesterday. He groaned and hide his face in his pillow. Normally he was woken up by his mother in the most gentle manner you could imagine. </p><p>Suddenly his room door was slammed open, making Byungho sit up in an instant. Seungmin was standing in the door, looking like he had seen a ghost. “Seungmin, what's wrong”, Byungho asked immediately concerned. He crawled out of his bed and walked over to the redhead, who was nervously playing with his fingers. “Father called Wonpil to his office along with my mother", the redhead replied, looking at Byungho with trembling shoulders. </p><p>When someone was called to the devil's office it was never a good sign, not even for his own demonic sons. But being called there along with your mother, who was the queen of hell was worse. Much worse. </p><p>“I’m scared. W-what if they do something to him”, Seungmin stuttered. Byungho immediately pulled his younger brother into a hug. “They won't”, he mumbled reassuringly.</p><p>Byungho knew that his father and Lilith wouldn’t dare to lay a hand onto Wonpil. They weren’t like that. When the brunette heard his room door open he looked up, noticing his mother walking in. Like always she looked like a timeless beauty. Her long blond hair seemed to fall down perfectly from the top of her head while her blue eyes showed so much love for every creature. Her white morning dress hugged her perfect figure and her flawless light skin made her look almost unreal. </p><p>“Mum do you know why father wanted to see Wonpil together with Lilith this early in the morning?”, Byungho asked his mother, hoping that she could provide some answers. Sadly she shook her head. “No, but I am sure Wonpil will be fine”, she said in a soft voice. Seungmin turned his head to look at the angel while he was still being held by Byungho. </p><p>“Good morning, Seungmin”, she greeted Seungmin in the same soft tone and smiled warmly. “Good morning, Eve", Seungmin returned the greeting, mumbling. The young demon still seemed very distressed, which of course Eve noticed. She laid her hand on Seungmin's head when she stood in front of the two brothers then she turned her attention to Byungho. </p><p>“You should get ready for school, dear. Don't worry I will take care of everything”, she said and laid her other hand on Byungho's cheek. The older male nodded but he didn't what to make Seungmin let go of him but Eve managed even that perfectly. She guided Seungmin's arms away from Byungho and made the redhead hug her instead. Byungho was still unsure if he should just leave Seungmin alone and just stood there. </p><p>Eve mouth a ‘Go’ to Byungho and the male listened to that, going to the bathroom to get himself ready. He trusted his mother that she would be able to calm Seungmin down even though a part of him wanted to do that.</p><p>——————————————</p><p>Seungmin heard a door fall shut and he knew it was Byungho, who had left the room as Eve had requested. The angel patted Seungmin’s head gently, reassuring him non verbally that he was safe with her. “I will go to your father's office as soon as I can to make sure nothing happens to Wonpil”, she promised and continued to pat Seungmin's head. </p><p>Seungmin stayed silent. He liked Eve. He really did. She was more of a mother to him than his biological mother Lilith. Eve was just so kind and loving. She never expected anyone to always behave, to be perfect, to be the best, to be absolutely flawless. She encouraged people to do what they love, gave them strength and was always there when someone needed a shoulder to cry on. </p><p>The redhead began to sob lightly. He didn't even really know why because normally he didn’t easily cry but Eve made him feel like he could be vulnerable. The angel continued to pat his head, told him not to worry and that everything will be just fine while he silently cried. </p><p>After some time Seungmin stopped his crying and detached himself from Eve, rubbing his hands over his face to collect himself. The blond woman just smiled kindly at him, giving him time to collect himself. </p><p>“Are you feeling better?”, she asked. Seungmin nodded and whipped the rest of his tears away. “Good. Then go and get ready for school while I talk to your father about this whole thing”, she added. “Thank you, Eve”, Seungmin thanked her. The angel just shook her head with a sweet smile adoring her perfect shaped, red lips. </p><p>“There his nothing to thank me for. We are a family after all”, she said and ruffled Seungmin through his red hair. Seungmin sniffed and nodded again while Eve smiled warmly. </p><p>Seungmin thought that Byungho really had luck with his mother before he said “See you later” to Eve and went to his room again to get completely ready. After all he had been in the middle of changing his clothes when he noticed that Wonpil and his mother were going to his father's office. </p><p>He took his time getting ready to make sure it wasn’t obvious that he had cried and then went downstairs for breakfast. Byungho was already in the dining hall along with Samuel. Rana was just walking out of the kitchen with two plates, which were loaded with scrabbled eggs. </p><p>“Good morning, Seungmin”, Rana greeted the redhead in a friendly tone. Seungmin responded with a simple "Morning" and sat down on the chair next to Byungho. The older smiled encouraging at Seungmin when the young demon looked to him. Rana set one of the plates she held down in front of Seungmin. The redhead blinked in surprise but thanked the siren. Rana just smiled, gave Samuel a kiss on the head when she walked by him and sat at the table down herself with a cup of coffee in her hand. </p><p>The four ate without having much of a conversation. Samuel just told them a little bit about his class, which he liked very much. After they finished eating Samuel, Byungho and Seungmin thanked Rana again for the breakfast, got their bags and made their way to the front door. Seungmin looked to the stairs before he walked out of the door together with Byungho and Samuel, feeling like he was leaving Wonpil behind, despite Eve’s promise. </p><p>Samuel tried to brighten up the mood with some funny stories about how shocked everybody was when he introduced himself as a siren to his class at Miroh High and how everybody thought that he was related to Hyunjin or how he explained to a couple of girls what it really meant to be a siren and how they reacted to Samuel's openness. It was quite endearing to see how lively, positive and open Samuel talked about this topic while both Byungho and Seungmin knew how Hyunjin struggled with it. Maybe they should put the two into a room at some point.  </p><p>After a while of walking the three brothers met Chan and Minho. Felix was seemingly still at home sick but Minho told them that he was pretty much fine now and just staying home to be sure. Samuel got everybody, except Seungmin, rapped up in a conversation pretty quickly. The redhead trailed a little behind the group looking out for a familiar mob of blue hair but he didn't find it. Seungmin fished his phone out of his jacket pocket and turned the screen on. No message from Jisung, so he was most likely not sick and would come to school but then where was he? Had he overslept? Was he already at school?</p><p>The group entered the school and split up to go to their lockers and then to their classes. Seungmin walked into his class alone and looked to Jisung's seat almost automatically. It was empty, which was very odd. The redhead sat down besides Jisung's empty seat, took out his phone and wrote a message to the warlock, asking him where he was and if he was okay. To keep himself from worrying too much, the redhead opened the article he read last. It was about an ancient spell that was said to manipulate time but nobody was able to use it yet.  </p><p>“Good Morning, Seungmin”, the redhead heard Hyunjin greet him. He looked up to see the siren just entering the class with Jeongin trailing behind him. “Hey you two”, Seungmin greeted and smiled lightly but it didn't reach his eyes. Hyunjin’s smile dropped a little from his lips. Without hesitating for a second the siren walked over to Seungmin without saying a word and hugged the redhead from behind. Seungmin slightly jumped at the sudden hug but then felt kind of protected by the older, just like when Byungho and Eve held him. </p><p>“Everything will be fine, Seungminnie”, Hyunjin mumbled beside Seungmin's ear, calling the redhead by a nickname. That send a shiver down the redhead's spine, not because of the words, Seungmin heard them enough for today, no, it was because he felt Hyunjin's breath pushing past his ears while he said those five little words. </p><p>“Morning, Jisung-hyung”, Jeongin said and ripped Seungmin out of his thoughts. The redhead immediately looked up, watching Jisung walking into the class. The blue-haired warlock mumbled a monotone "morning guys" in return. He looked a little restless, almost sad and his eyes seemed a bit cloudy.  Seungmin also noticed how he still wore his scarf he normally put into his locker with his coat and boots. </p><p>Hyunjin let go of Seungmin and looked concerned to Jisung. "Why is everybody so sad today?", the siren questioned more himself than the others and walked to Jisung to wrap the warlock up in hug. At first the warlock flinched away, looking at Hyunjin like he was a threat but it didn’t take long for the other to initiate the hug himself. Hyunjin wrapped his arms around the warlock’s torso while Jisung leaned into the embrace and remained quiet. </p><p>In the corner of his eye Seungmin noticed that Jeongin, who now stood next to him with his arms crossed over his chest. His fox-like eyes were fixed on Hyunjin and Jisung. Seungmin got the feeling that the younger had noticed something he didn't. Sadly he couldn't ask the kitsune because the teacher walked in and everyone had to go to their seats.</p><p>Seungmin looked at his blue-haired friend who was sitting down beside him. Jisung just stared at his textbook and didn't say one word. "I need to ask Jeongin what he noticed after the lesson", the redhead thought to himself before focusing on his own textbook. </p><p>After the lesson Seungmin wasn't able to talk to Jeongin. Why? Because the kitsune got up in lighting speed, walked up to Jisung, grabbed the warlock's arm and dragged him out of the classroom. Hyunjin ran after them, calling after them and that was Seungmin's cue to do the same. The redhead ran after the siren and caught up to him rather quickly but Jeongin and Jisung were already out of sight. </p><p>“Where did the two go?”, Hyunjin asked and looked around. Seungmin shook his head. “We lost them”, he mumbled, trying to come up with something that would help them find the two at the same time. They needed someone with a good nose to track them down. Then it clicked in Seungmin’s head and he grabbed Hyunjin’s wrist dragging the siren along. </p><p>“We need to get Chan”, the redhead said, heading to the class of the older male. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>Jeongin dragged Jisung far away from any soul to the most abandoned place in the whole school. It was a simple storage room where nobody ever went to. The kitsune found this place when he looked around the school in his last free period but that was without Hyunjin. The older had "manipulation" at that time, a special class for sirens, fairies, mermaids and other creatures, whose main abilities was luring others with their voice. </p><p>Jeongin almost shoved Jisung into the room and closed the door behind himself. The kitsune found it strange that the warlock didn't protest or anything. Normally Jisung complained a lot when he was dragged somewhere. In general was the blue-haired male a lot louder and now he was quiet, looked to the ground so his blue hair covered his eyes and said not one word. </p><p>When Jisung had entered the classroom Jeongin instantly picked up the faint scent of blood on the other, along with a strong perfume that Jisung normally didn’t have on him. The kitsune had hoped that maybe the warlock would say what was wrong with him by himself but he didn’t, giving Jeongin not much of a choice. If Jisung was injured Jeongin needed to know it.  </p><p>“Why did I smell blood on you?”, Jeongin asked directly and looked intensely at the older male. Jisung winced like he remembered something unpleasant and brought a hand up to his scarf but he didn't answer. He didn't even raise his eyes even when Jeongin came a little closer to him. </p><p>The younger stood in front of the warlock, watching his every motion to figure out what was wrong with the blue-haired warlock. His posture was stiff and he probably subconsciously shifted his weigh from one foot to another in a nervous manner. </p><p>"What happened, Jisung-hyung?", the blond asked in a softer tone and slowly brought his hand up to not startle the other with the motion. He wanted to lower the other’s guard with the soft tone, so he could finally figure out where Jisung was bleeding.</p><p>With a swift motion Jeongin took the scarf off Jisung. The warlock gasped, immediately covered his neck with his hand and stumbled backwards but the kitsune already saw what he was trying to hide. Two tiny holes, which were the sign of a vampire bite, were on the warlock’s neck and they seemed fresh, probably not a day old. </p><p>Jeongin just stared at Jisung with the scarf in his hand. Pure shock was reflected in the fox-like eyes of the younger. “Who bit you?”, he wanted to know. Slowly the kitsune’s shock transformed into anger. The kitsune wanted to rip the person's head off who bit Jisung. This time for real not like with Ryan. </p><p>The kitsune had scared the hell out of Ryan with an little illusion for always being an ass towards his friends and well the arrogant brown-haired vampire was now very scared of Jeongin but nobody knew what exactly the kitsune used in the illusion to make Ryan so afraid of him because the vampire refused to talk about it and Jeongin wasn’t bragging either.</p><p>Jisung bit his lip and tried to stay calm, to not cry, to not show weakness. Jeongin finally noticed that. How could he be so stupid? He tricked Jisung to reveal what the warlock was hiding under the scarf and he hadn't thought about what that could cause. </p><p>“Hyung...”, Jeongin trailed off. He wanted to comfort the older, this time without tricking him into anything but he didn't come far with that because the door of the storage room was opened before he could take one step towards Jisung. </p><p>“Found you”, Jeongin heard Chan say behind him. Jeongin turned around and saw Chan, Seungmin, Hyunjin, Minho and Byungho standing by the door of the storage room. Minho immediately pushed past Hyunjin and Seungmin when he saw Jisung like some kind of instinct had kicked in that said he had to comfort and protect the warlock. The cat hybrid slowly went up the blue-haired male and carefully wrapped his arms around the younger. Jisung didn't move a muscle, letting Minho put his arms around him protectively. </p><p>“What the hell is wrong today?”, Hyunjin mumbled to himself but it was still audible to Jeongin. The kitsune stayed silent. He felt like he didn't have the right to say anything right now. </p><p>The bell rang but no one of the group of young creatures had the feeling they should go to class right now. That feeling just got stronger when they heard Jisung sob. Chan and Byungho immediately went over to the warlock and Minho, being concerned about the younger. </p><p>Jeongin was sure that Minho and Chan had picked up the strange scents surrounding Jisung as well as the smell of blood on him but neither of the older males had made a comment about it. The kitsune glanced over to his cousin and Seungmin, who had fully entered the storage room now and closed the door behind them.</p><p>"Jisung what's wrong? Are you hurt?", Chan asked, letting Jeongin’s attention shift back to the sobbing warlock and the three older males. Jisung just shook his head as an answer and Jeongin wasn’t sure if he agreed with that. Jisung had definitely been hurt. </p><p>The warlock still had his hand on his neck to cover the bite which the youngest of the group had seen. Jeongin went up to the four older males in order to redeem himself for his previous behavior. </p><p>“Jisung-hyung, you should show them”, he said in a quiet and soft voice. The youngest gently placed his hand on top of Jisung's, which covered his neck. The warlock sobbed again and let Jeongin take his hand off his neck to reveal the two little but deep holes. The blond fox spirit held the warlock's hand in his slightly bigger ones and gently rubbed his thumb over the back of the other's hand in hopes of it being a little bit comforting. </p><p>Byungho and Chan were speechless when they saw the two little holes on Jisung's neck. “Who did this to you?”, Byungho asked gently. You could hear that the oldest of the group was concerned and just wanted to help Jisung but the warlock broke down at that question. He ripped his hand out of Jeongin's, wrapped his arms around Minho's torso and hide his face in the cat hybrid's neck before he began to cry uncontrollably. Minho just held Jisung while slightly swaying them from side to side and let the warlock cry. </p><p>Seungmin and Hyunjin, who had finally mustered up the courage to come a bit closer too hadn't seen the bite yet but they would soon. For now everyone was quiet so Jisung could calm down. Hyunjin walked to Jisung's side and suddenly started to sing something. </p><p>Jeongin knew what he was singing. It was a so called "siren lullaby". It lulled the person it was sung to into dreamland. After hearing such a lullaby you would always have a pleasant dream no matter what your brain was currently occupied with and it always worked. </p><p>The others were surprised to hear Hyunjin sing but he really had a wonderful voice. Jisung slowly started to stop crying and fell asleep in Minho's arms. Hyunjin stopped singing when he was sure the warlock was asleep and helped Minho holding the blue-haired male, so he wouldn’t fall to the ground and hurt himself. </p><p>“Jeongin, teleport Minho and Jisung to the nurse office”, Hyunjin whispered, looking at his cousin. The fox spirit nodded and took Hyunjin's place without hesitation. He teleported Minho, Jisung and himself to the nurse office. To be more specific he teleported them next to the bed on the end of the office in case someone else besides the nurse was there. While Minho laid Jisung down on the bed, Jeongin looked for the nurse. The young fox spirit found her sitting at her desk. She didn't even look up from her paperwork and already knew what was going on. </p><p>"I will excuse Jisung and all of your friends including you so you can stay here with him. Don't worry about that", Shiela said and looked up from her paperwork. "My only condition is that you take care of each other", she added. Jeongin just nodded and returned to Minho and Jisung. Not long after that the rest of the group arrived at the nurse office. Shiela brought them to the bed Jisung was sleeping in. He looked peaceful even though there were tear stains on his cheeks. Hyunjin's lullaby really did wonders. Minho was seated on the foot of the bed and looked at Jisung with worry shimmering in his brown orbs. It was a bit too much for Jeongin to handle so he let his gaze wander a little bit until it fell onto Seungmin. </p><p>The redhead looked calm but the way he was avoiding to look at Jisung while rubbing his right thump again his right pointer finger told Jeongin that for some reason the redhead felt a little bit guilty. It made Jeongin’s conscious remind him of the fact that he should feel a little guilty too. Looking down at Jisung’s scarf, that he still held, Jeongin wished he could show whoever bit Jisung their biggest nightmare. Nobody should mess with the friends of a kitsune. </p><p>—————————</p><p>Seungmin couldn't even look at his friend. He should have noticed right away that something was wrong with the blue-haired male. The redhead had been friends with Jisung since middle school for the gods' sake. He clutched his hands to fists and thought of ways on how he could find the person, no, the vampire who did this to Jisung. That was when he got an idea.</p><p>He sneakily took Jisung's scarf from Jeongin, turned on his heels and went to the door. "Seungmin what are you doing? Where are you going?", Byungho whisper yelled. "I will go and talk to someone. I will call you later so don't worry", Seungmin answered quietly and left the office. </p><p>The redhead walked down the corridors to Byungho, Chan and Minho's class. He waited until the bell rang and then walked into the classroom like he belonged there. His eyes scanned the room in search of a certain black-haired vampire. </p><p>He saw Changbin sitting at his desk and collecting his things. The redhead walked up to the older male. "I need to talk to you, Changbin-hyung", the redhead requested when he stood beside the vampire. The smaller male looked up. "About what?", he asked. His tone sounded monotone, cold even. It was definitely different from what Seungmin got to know when he met the vampire along with Jae, Sungjin, Wonpil, Younghyun and Dowoon. </p><p>"I think you don't want me to say that here", Seungmin stated like it was a common fact. Changbin scoffed but got up to follow Seungmin out of the classroom. It made Seungmin smirk a little bit since for some reason he didn’t need to be persuasive yet. </p><p>The two walked to a place with no students around. "So what do you want, Seungmin?", Changbin  spoke up after he was sure nobody could hear them. He put his hands in the pockets of his black jean trying to look uninterested. </p><p>"I want your help", the redhead stated. "With what?", the vampire questioned and leaned on the wall behind him. "To find a certain vampire", Seungmin answered without beating around the bush Changbin  shrugged. "Why should I be able to help you find that certain vampire?", the black-haired male queried with a slight amusement in his voice. </p><p>Now was the time to be a little mean. Seungmin had a theory regarding Changbin. Some days ago he started to research on vampires and even went to school early one time just so he could read some books regarding this topic in the school’s library. He had researched which vampires had the power to control others even unintentionally. Of course his research showed that there was no vampire with such a power but royal vampires tend to have other vampires following their lead, so in theory Changbin could be a royal but Seungmin knew that Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon were somehow working for the vampire king and queen. Their real status within the hierarchy of the vampire he didn’t know but he did find out that there was a vampire prince, who should be around Changbin’s age. Therefore he thought Changbin could be said vampire prince. It would explain the other vampires at school following his lead and that he had a more powerful kind of aura if you could even call it like that. Still it was just a theory but today he could proof it if he played his cards right. </p><p>Seungmin looked Changbin in the eyes, being prepared to watch his reaction carefully. "I know you are the vampire prince. You have access to information about every vampire", Seungmin deadpanned, sounding convincing. Changbin’s mouth unintentional dropped open when he heard that and somehow Seungmin was a bit disappointed that he was that easy to read.</p><p>"How di-", he wanted to ask but Seungmin cut him short. "It doesn't matter now how I found out. I will tell you when you agreed to help me", Seungmin stated, internally grinning at the fact that Changbin fell for this little trick but who could blame him? Seungmin was a great liar and even better at bluffing. Changbin looked at the redhead, seeming a little displeased. </p><p>"Why do you need to find a certain vampire?", the vampire prince asked, having put on serious tone. Seungmin hesitate for a moment. He didn’t want to just say it was about Jisung, so he decided to be vague. </p><p>"He or she bit one of my friends. Probably by force", the redhead explained, knowing that this was a tabu for a vampire, thanks to his research on them. </p><p>Changbin rubbed the bridge of his nose, obviously thinking about his answer, making Seungmin a little bit nervous but he hid it well. "I will help you", he agreed. Seungmin released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. </p><p>"Thank you, Changbin-hyung", the redhead thanked. Changbin grinned lightly. "No‚ your majesty?", Changbin mocked the younger. Seungmin narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "In your dreams", he responded which earned a light laugh from the black-haired vampire. </p><p>Suddenly Changbin reached his hand out. "Let's make this an official deal, shall we?", he requested with a little smirk on his lips. Seungmin looked at the outstretched hand and then to Changbin. It was a gesture Seungmin need from stories told by his father. Changbin was making a deal with demon, meaning the vampire knew damn well what Seungmin really was but still decided to take the risk and proposing a demonic deal. Good to know he wasn’t a coward like one of his followers. </p><p>"So you also found something out, huh?", the redhead asked carefully, still looking at the other’s outstretched hand. "I just figured it out because I know Wonpil is a demon and you are his younger brother", Changbin answered. Seungmin’s eyes became bigger when he heard that. Wonpil trusted Changbin enough to tell him that he was a demon? That somehow made Seungmin feel a little bit better about making an official deal with the vampire. </p><p>The young demon took Changbin's hand. "So we have a deal", the redhead said. A energy flooded the bodies of both boys. It gave them a kind of strength but that also had an other side. "Wow. So that's how it feels like to have a deal with a demon", the vampire said more to himself than to Seungmin. "Jap and you can't back out of it", the young demon said, know that if one of the two broke this little deal they would have to suffer the hellish consequences. </p><p>"I will get you later this afternoon then we go to my place and find out who hurt your friend", Changbin suggested. Seungmin nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me", the redhead agreed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Sleepover plans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group of friends plans a sleepover to comfort Jisung while Seungmin tries to find out who hurt his best friend with the help of Changbin.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Jisung slowly woke up from his surprisingly peaceful slumber he heard hushed voices. The warlock didn’t want to open his eyes right now. He felt comfortable laying on something soft, huddled up in what he assumed was a comfy blanket. The voices got a little louder with each passing second, not because they became louder themselves, no it was because Jisung was now more or less awake but didn’t bother to open his eyes. </p><p>The voices were familiar but Jisung couldn’t really pinpoint who they belonged to, so he slowly opens his eyes to see Minho, Hyunjin, Jeongin, Byungho and Chan sitting more or less around him. Hyunjin sat on a chair beside the bed Jisung was laying in with Jeongin on his lap. Minho sat the closest to Jisung since the cat hybrid was seated on the middle of the bed. Chan also sat on the bed but on the foot of it. Byungho sat alone on another chair. Jisung almost instantly noticed the absence of his best friend but somehow he wasn’t really surprised. Despite Seungmin being there for him most of the time, the redhead did have the tendency to just disappear in moments like this. </p><p>Hyunjin was the first one to notice, that Jisung was awake. “Did you sleep well, Jisung?”, he asked and smiled. The rest also turned their attention to the blue-haired male. Jisung slightly gulped and sat up while rubbing his eyes, trying to cover up his awkwardness. </p><p>“Y-yeah”, the young warlock stuttered and tried to remember why he fell asleep again but the only thing that came into his mind was a beautiful melody. The room was silent, which made Jisung slowly realize that maybe he should apologize for his strange behavior and his emotional outburst in the storage room. The others had ditched at least one lesson just to take care of him after all.</p><p>“I am sorry that I had an outburst like that and that you needed to take care of me”, Jisung apologized, looking at his lap, not wanting to face the people he had burdened with problems he should take care of himself. Jisung heard someone stand up and move, which made him looked up just for Chan to flick his forehead. </p><p>“You don’t need to apologize for anything. We are your friends. If you are sad or you have something on your mind you can talk to us. We will always have your back,” Chan said and Jisung felt his eyes got watery again. He never had real friends besides Seungmin, since he was always this awkward kid, that nobody wanted to talk. Seungmin was kind of like that, which was the reason they became friends in the first place but as much as Jisung appreciated the redhead he always had his own strange ways of showing affection, which made the warlock go nuts sometimes. He was never sure if Seungmin would one day leave him behind for reasons he couldn’t understand. </p><p>“I know what we will do today”, Minho spoke up, avoiding the room from falling silent again. Everybody turned their attention to the cat hybrid. He grinned while his tail swayed back and forth excitedly, occasionally brushing over Jisung’s legs that were covered by a blanket. </p><p>“We will have a sleepover at Felix and my place because our parents aren’t home, so we have the whole house to ourselves”, he suggested with a grin on his lips. “Does that sound like fun?”, the cat hybrid questioned and looked at Jisung. The warlock didn’t really know why Minho looked specifically at him but just being invited to a sleepover sounded too good to be true, causing Jisung to smile a little.  </p><p>“Sounds fun”, Jisung replied and nodded.  The group began to excitedly talk about what they want to do at the sleepover, which made Jisung happy for no reason but Jeongin suddenly spoke up and asked Minho the golden question. </p><p>“Isn’t Felix still sick?”, the kitsune asked the older. “Not really. Besides he isn’t contagious and I just left him at home today so he could sleep the whole morning to be sure he isn’t doing something stupid. And when I bring you guys over he may not cling onto me but one of you”, Minho answered, smiling cheekily. The group laughed at that, which got the attention of Shiela, who just walked in. </p><p>“Seems like you are having fun”, she stated, smiling a little bit. The boys turned their heads towards her. “We have now. Thanks for letting us stay with Jisung”, Byungho thanked the nurse and returned her smile. “No problem. Just don’t make it a habit”, she responded and the group answered with “We won’t”. </p><p>“Go back to class when you feel like it. I excused you for the whole day but don’t you dare just walking home early”, she added, looking at the boy with a jokingly warning look before she went to her desk. Again all boys answered with “We won’t” and couldn’t help but giggle afterwards. </p><p>Jisung felt a little bad that his newly proclaimed friends really didn’t go to class because of him, so he decided that he had rested enough and kicked the blanket off him. The group looked surprised when Jisung hopped out of the bed. </p><p>“Let’s go to class back”, he said and all the others looked at him like he was nuts. “What?”, the warlock questioned with frowning a little bit. The others laughed at his expression, confusing the poor warlock even more. </p><p>“Nothing. It’s just that we didn’t think you would want to go back to class”, Hyunjin giggled. The blue-haired male crossed his arms at that, looking away from the siren. “I like learning things, you know”, he huffed. The warlock suddenly remembered that he didn’t wear his scarf anymore and subconsciously put his hand over the place where the bite was, feeling a white patch.</p><p>“Nurse Shiela put it on to keep it from being infected”, Chan explained in a soft tone. Jisung looked at the wolf hybrid for a moment, noticing that his heart had speed up a little bit. He reminded himself that he was safe with his friends and took a little breath. He couldn’t go to class with the white patch being exposed, which made him remember that Jeongin took his scarf.</p><p>“Where is my scarf?”, Jisung wanted to know and looked at Jeongin for an answer. “Seungmin took it from me and then quickly left. I am sorry”, the youngest of the group apologized. Jisung sat down on the bed again. He wouldn’t go to class with the white patch being exposed. Everyone would ask about it and that was the last thing he wanted but the question on why Seungmin took his scarf still remained in his mind. </p><p>“Maybe it’s better to stay here until school his over”, the warlock mumbled and everybody knew why he changed his mind so suddenly but Jisung changed the topic before anyone could comment on it. </p><p>“Where did Seungmin go anyway?”, Jisung asked. “He said he was going to talk to someone and that he would call me later”, Byungho sighed, clearly not being happy about the behavior of his younger brother. Jisung exhaled through his nose and nodded. What else did he expect from the redhead? He never explained anything. “Sounds like him”, the warlock mumbled, mostly to himself. </p><p>And the mood was down again but Hyunjin wouldn’t let it stay like that. The siren changed the topic again and began to talk about their sleepover and what they should do to make it memorable. He lead the conversation for a while but soon everybody was involved and they talked happily again, which relived Jisung even though he didn’t show it.</p><p>The group of friends stayed at the nurse office until school was over. They got their things from their classrooms and met at the gate. Jisung was glad, that Shiela had covered his bite with a big, white plaster, so nobody could directly see it but when she explained that the plaster also had a special scent, which covered the scent of blood he declared her to be an angel. Still, he tried to let his hoodie cover the white plaster as good as possible while walking through the school’s corridors.</p><p>Nobody saw or heard anything from Seungmin though. Byungho had called his younger brother multiple times but he didn’t pick up. Of course that worried the oldest of the group. Jisung comforted him by saying that Seungmin was strong and could take of himself, so he would be fine. Still, Jisung asked himself why the redhead had taken his scarf. What did he plan on doing with it? </p><p>Everybody needed to get home before they went to Minho’s house and that was what everybody did except Jisung. The warlock didn’t want to go “home” which was why he was glad when Minho casually took his hand and started to drag him to his home instead. On the way he texted Felix and told him about their planned sleepover and that Jisung was already coming over. The younger cat hybrid seemed excited even over text messages. </p><p>The warlock was kind of stunned when they stood in front of the Lee’s big looking house in probably one of the nicest neighborhoods Jisung had ever seen. He had never realized that Minho’s family was wealthy. </p><p>“Come on”, Minho said and dragged Jisung to the front door of the house. The cat hybrid got his keys out of his bag and opened the door, revealing an already comfy looking home but before Jisung could really look around Felix ran up to Minho and him, hugging them both as a greeting. </p><p>“Welcome home”, he said happily before letting them go again. Felix didn’t look like he had been sick but Jisung took that as a good sign. “I will show you around” Felix grinned, taking Jisung’s hand to drag the blue-haired male inside. Minho closed he door before we was also dragged along because Jisung didn’t let go of his hand. Luckily Felix stopped dragging the warlock when they reach a little cloak room where Minho and Jisung took their shoes and coats off.</p><p>Jisung already liked the Lee’s house. It felt comfortable, warm, cozy and it felt like a home. The warlock looked around a little more after Minho and he took their shoes and coats off. “Oh by the way Jisung when did you hurt yourself?”, Felix asked and pointed at the warlock’s neck to show  what he meant. The warlock’s hand went up to his neck again where the bite was now covered by the white plaster. </p><p>“Yesterday. I was just a little bit stupid”, Jisung answered, panicking a little bit. He didn’t want to tell Felix or talk about it in general and Minho seemingly noticed that. </p><p>“We should prepare some things before the rest comes over. So Felix could you get some beanbags from the basement while I give Jisung some more comfortable clothes to change into”, Minho suggested. “Sure thing”, Felix beamed and hurried off. He had too much energy for someone, who was bedridden just a day prior. Maybe letting him sleep so long wasn’t a good idea if you looked at it now. </p><p>Minho grabbed Jisung’s hand again and lead the younger upstairs to his room. The warlock wasn’t protesting and let the other drag him. When the two young creatures enter Minho’s room, Jisung was once again stunned. The room was bigger than the living room of the flat Jisung lived in and the light shone perfectly through the big windows with the dark blue curtains. Minho’s bed was in the middle of the room and just gigantic in Jisung’s opinion. It was probably trice the size of his own and it also looked so goddamn soft and cozy. And on top of it all there was a big flatscreen on the wall in front of the bed. </p><p>Minho started to smirk when he noticed Jisung’s stunned expression. “You like my room, it seems“ the cat hybrid stated. Jisung just nodded without really looking at the older male. Minho lightly chuckled at that. He gently dragged Jisung to his closet and opened it with his free hand. Jisung’s mouth dropped open when he saw that Minho’s closet was filled to the brim with cloths of all colors of the goddamn rainbow. How many cloths did the older own exactly? It was probably more than Jisung had ever since he was born. </p><p>The older picked a dark blue sweatshirt and a pair of grey sweatpants out for the younger. “Here”, he said and handed Jisung the cloths. “T-thanks”, the blue-haired male stuttered, holding the cloths in arms, noting their fresh scent and how soft they felt. </p><p>“My bathroom is over there if you want to change”, Minho said and pointed to the other door in the room. “Of course he also has his own bathroom”, Jisung thought to himself, being a little bit salty now. </p><p>“Alright”, Jisung mumbled. Minho let go of the younger’s hand so he could go if he wanted. Jisung missed the warmth of Minho’s hand already even if it sounded strange. The young warlock went into the bathroom to change while Minho picked an more comfortable outfit for himself. </p><p>Jisung changed into the outfit Minho gave him. It was a little bit big for him but it was very comfortable. The warlock couldn’t help but look into the mirror to check the outfit a little bit. The hoodie matched his dark blue hair and complemented his sky blue eyes but it also made him look paler than he really was. </p><p>The warlock looked down onto the sweatshirt and was tempted to just stick his nose into the fabric but that would be weird, so he shook his head, took his cloths that laid on the floor and walked out of the bathroom. </p><p>“Hey Minho were should I ...”, he trailed off when he saw the older without a goddamn shirt! Jisung just stood there for a moment and stared at Minho. Who allowed him to be good looking in every goddamn way? Weren’t his pretty face, wonderful laugh and beautiful smile not enough? Apparently not. No, the gods also gave him a toned upper body and slightly muscular arms. </p><p>Jisung slowly came back to his senses and realized that he had been staring at Minho in the most obvious way, someone could imagine. “I’m sorry. I had no idea you were changing too. Please warn me next time”, the warlock blabbered in a nervous manner and covered his eyes instantly. He heard Minho just laugh cutely. </p><p>“Should I really have warned you? You seemed to have liked it”, the cat hybrid teased in a lower tone right beside Jisung’s ear. The warlock was kind of frozen in place. Why was Minho so close now? Why didn’t he notice him coming closer? Oh, right. Minho was a cat hybrid. They were able to sneak up to nearly everybody without being noticed if they wanted. </p><p>Jisung felt how Minho took his hands away from his eyes. First thing Jisung noticed was that the older was now wearing a shirt then he noticed that Minho was really close to him. The older was grinning like a cheshire cat and his eyes had a teasing glimmer in them. </p><p>“I hate you teasing me”, Jisung mumbled, not knowing what else to say. Minho just grinned a little wider. “And I like teasing you very much”, Minho said and poked Jisung’s cheek. The warlock swatted his hands away, wanting to puff his cheeks and pretend that he was mad but then he saw the cat hybrid smile. It radiated so much warmth but much more warmth held the eyes of the older. Jisung didn’t even really notice how his heart speed up because he was just staring into Minho’s light brown orbs. He felt nothing besides the warmth radiating from them. </p><p>The moment was broken when Minho’s gaze fell down to Jisung’s neck on the white plaster. “You need to tell me what happened, Jisung. Who did this to you?”, Minho mumbled in a soft tone and brought his hand up. Jisung unintentionally flinched a little bit. The older immediately stopped moving his hand and looked into Jisung’s eyes. </p><p>“I won’t hurt you.”, Minho hushed, holding nothing but sincerity and warmth in his eyes. He meant what he said, he really did and Jisung should know that without thinking. “I know”, Jisung answered in a quiet voice. With his heart thumping wildly in his chest the warlock, brought his own hand up, guiding Minho’s to his neck. The older laid his hand slowly and gently on Jisung’s neck. The spot with the plaster felt ice cold in comparison with Minho’s warm hand. The cat hybrid began to gently rub his thumb over the plaster, letting Jisung ease up a little more. He didn’t know why but he wanted to trust Minho with every fiber of his body.  </p><p>“Maybe I’m a bit impatient. You don’t need to-“, Minho began but Jisung panicked a little. “I-it was an older male vampire in a suit. He must have been around thirty. I don’t know his name just how he looks and I could recognize his voice”, Jisung blurt out. Minho looked a little shocked at the younger and the motion of his thump stopped. </p><p>The warlock’s breath quickened a little bit. It was a mistake he shouldn’t have said it. He started to lightly shake again because of some memories from yesterday that came crawling back into his conscious and the possibility of Minho just leaving him now. </p><p>The cat hybrid did the opposite. The minute Jisung started shaking Minho immediately wrapped his other arm around the younger’s middle and pulled him into his body. The hand that was on Jisung’s neck slithered down to the warlock’s back and pulled him even more close. Jisung buried his face into Minho’s neck like he had in the storage room and gripped onto the back of the older’s shirt like a small child. </p><p>“I was so scared when I noticed something was in the water but it was already too late”, Jisung hiccuped. The warlock didn’t want to cry again. He really didn’t but he just couldn’t keep himself from it. “I know. You are safe now, Jisung. He can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let him”, Minho hushed and just held the younger close. </p><p>There was no way of describing how Jisung felt in that moment. He didn’t know Minho for that long but for some reason the older male made him feel safe, protected and he wanted to trust him with everything he had, even though it made no sense at all. </p><p>————————————</p><p>Byungho saw how Minho dragged Jisung behind him shortly after they had split up to walk to their own homes. It seemed like Jisung was coming with Minho, making Byungho feel a bit relived. If Minho hadn’t taken Jisung with him it would have been Byungho, even though he would have probably regretted doing so as soon as the two would have arrived at the Kim residence. </p><p>The brown-haired male walked home alone for the most part since Samuel should already be at home because he had no sixth period and Seungmin kind of disappeared but Jeongin and Hyunjin said Seungmin’s things weren’t at his desk anymore when they got their stuff together with Jisung, which meant that the redhead must have gotten them and then left. Byungho sighed. What was Seungmin up to again? </p><p>When the big mansion Byungho called home came in sight he remembered what went down there this morning. Hopefully Wonpil was okay. Remembering that incident, Byungho thought about Seungmin again. Seungmin and Wonpil were incredible close. That was why Seungmin reacted the way he did and maybe seeing another person he was close to hurt like Jisung just made the redhead want to do something. If that would turn out positive or negative was perspective. </p><p>Byungho rang the bell beside the gigantic iron gate of the Kim mansion. It was opened shortly after that and Byungho walked into the front yard. He followed the dark stone path to the gigantic door of his home. Said door was opened before the brown-haired male properly reached it by none other than his mother. </p><p>“Welcome home, Byungho”, she greeted her son warmly with a smile. Byungho just returned her smile. Everything seemed normal so maybe everything went fine after he had left this morning. Eve let Byungho walk inside and let the door fall shut behind him. </p><p>“How was school?”, the blond angel asked like she always did. “It was ... a little bit chaotic but it was fine in the end”, Byungho answered vaguely. Eve immediately showed that she was concerned about Byungho through her beautiful blue eyes but she didn’t push it. Byungho normally told her everything that was on his mind but the thing with Jisung wasn’t his story to tell. </p><p>“I’m glad that it turned out fine in the end”, Eve said, brushing a starry strain of hair behind Byungho’s ear. In her eyes glimmered a bit of concern but also something that showed her understanding nature. She wouldn’t continue asking but if Byungho ever wanted to talk she would listen. The brunette smiled a little bit, knowing that his mother was the most understanding creature he knew.</p><p>Angels were pure creatures with no bad intentions, no bad thoughts. They would never lie and basically they couldn’t even do that. Their eyes were always like an open window. You could see through them with no problem. They always put others before themselves and loved everybody regardless of what they were or where they were from. It just didn’t matter to them. Creature was creature there was no difference for them. But the most amazing thing about an angel were hidden from most eyes. Their wings, which were colored in clear gold or pure white, represented the pureness of an angel and also showed their might and grace. </p><p>Byungho felt a little sting in his heart when he thought about the mighty species of a creature his mother belonged to but this wasn’t the right time. He faked a smile and looked at his mother. </p><p>“By the way, I will sleep over at a friend’s house tonight so I won’t be here for long”, the male told his mother. Eve nodded and smiled again. “I hope you have fun then”, she responded. “I will”, Byungho said and gave his mother a short kiss on the forehead. It was something the two of them considered as normal. </p><p>“I am going to pack my things now”, the male added and went to the stairs. “I will come up in twenty minutes because we need to talk about something, young man”, she called after him in humorous way, letting Byungho know that it wasn’t something too serious. </p><p>When Byungho arrived at his room he put his school bag next to his desk and walked past his body length mirror because he wanted to get to his closet but he stopped when he saw his reflection. A short second Byungho thought he saw his wings in the mirror. His pitch black wings. </p><p>Byungho wasn’t as pure as all other angels because he had demon blood running through his veins. He could lie like pleased, he could hide his emotions perfectly, his dark eyes were a mystery to a lot of people and he was brown with wings, which were pitch black. He didn’t have any resemblance with his mother’s graceful and beautiful appearance either. He was taller than her with a broad frame, had brown hair, dark eyes and strong facial features like his father. </p><p>In general Byungho looked more like his father than his mother. He was just missing the dark red, almost black horns, the devil’s tail and his father’s signature smirk. He hated it. He hated his father and that was another thing a pure angel couldn’t do even if it was the devil himself. </p><p>Byungho shook his head, getting these thoughts out of his head and began to collect some things he needed for the sleep over like fresh cloths, a toothbrush and all that. </p><p>After twenty minutes there was a knock on the door. “Come in, Mum”, the male called out with his head in his closet because he was pretty sure that he had a really comfortable hoodie in there. The door was opened and Eve entered. </p><p>“What are you searching for, sweetie?”, she chuckled when she saw how her son’s head literally disappeared into his closet. “My grey hoodie”, Byungho responded. Eve laughed lightly and closed the door behind her before walking over to her son</p><p>“Let me help you”, she said and guided Byungho out of the closet by his shoulders. The blond angel found the hoodie after one look into her son’s now messy closet and gave it to him. Mums had superpowers. You couldn’t deny that. </p><p>“You are simply amazing, mum”, Byungho stated and put the hoodie into his bag. Eve lightly laughed again. She walked to Byungho’s bed and sat down, patting the spot beside her. Indicating Byungho to sit down there. </p><p>“We still need to talk. Remember?”, she reminded him. Byungho sat down beside his mother and looked into her blue eyes. They showed no strong emotion at the moment but Byungho’s gut told him that maybe he had previously misinterpreted the situation and there was something wrong. </p><p>“Is something wrong?”, the male asked cautiously. “I just wanted to tell you what happened after you left this morning”, she answered. She had Byungho’s whole attention now. </p><p>“I promised Seungmin I would go to your father’s office and see what was wrong there, so as promised I went there shortly after sending Seungmin off to get ready. When I entered your father’s office Wonpil and Lilith were still there. Like always your father invited me to stay and I did to make sure Wonpil would be okay. Lilith wasn’t pleased but she said nothing against it. Just glared at me but that is nothing new. They continued their talk about Wonpil’s friends. Your father just said the facts and approved all of Wonpil’s friends”, Eve continued to talk. Byungho grimaced a little bit after hearing this.</p><p>“Meaning he told Lilith things she shouldn’t know”, Byungho said. Eve nodded as confirmation and sighed lightly. “Your father wanted to go into details about one friend of Wonpil but I kept him from it by saying that he already approved Wonpil’s friends enough. He listened to me and dismissed Wonpil and Lilith. Sadly I couldn’t follow them directly because your father wanted to get breakfast with me but Wonpil seemed fine when I saw him leave the house to go to university”, Eve ended. </p><p>“What about Lilith?”, Byungho asked, hoping that the queen of hell wouldn’t start researching Wonpil’s friends only to dislike them. “I think she went to her study room but I haven’t seen her since this morning”, his mother answered. Lilith spend a lot of time in her study room, meaning there was hope that she would just leave Wonpil alone. </p><p>Byungho nodded. The only thing that concerned him now was if Wonpil really was okay because demons were excellent at hiding things if they really didn’t want anyone to see their true emotions or intentions. Not even an angel like Eve could always see through the facade of a demon. But the male wanted to believe his mother. Still Byungho’s gut made him ask something else.</p><p>“How was having a breakfast with father?”, the male wondered. His eyes never left his mother’s face. Eve smiled but it wasn’t one of her happy smiles, no it was rather sad. She looked down to her lap. “It felt normal. Like we were a normal married couple having breakfast and talk about the gods know what”, she chuckled and gently touched her golden wedding ring, which she wore on her right ring finger. Byungho hated it to see his mother like this. She was too kind, too caring and too friendly to deserve sadness caused by others. </p><p>“Mum why don’t you leave him and go back to heaven? He cheated on you two times now probably even more. He gives you no reason to stay by his side”, Byungho asked, being angry at his father. He had asked this exact question already eight years ago when his father brought Athea and Woosu to the mansion to live with them but he had to ask again. “Because I love your father, Byungho”, she answered truthfully. It was the same answer from eight years ago and the male still couldn’t believe his mother even though he knew that she wasn’t lying. </p><p>Byungho stood up and walked some steps away from the bed. He ruffled his hair clearly frustrated and a little upset. He couldn’t understand why. How could his mother, an angel, love the king of hell, the devil, the reincarnation of all evil?</p><p> “But the last time you asked I didn’t say everything because you were still so young. I feared you wouldn’t understand and just be more upset”, Eve added and Byungho turned his head to look at his mother again. Eve sat on the bed, still looking at her wedding ring. The sadness had disappeared from her eyes and was replaced with a more loving look. </p><p>Angels were terrible at hiding things but they still could let things unsaid, which was the only way fro them to keep things hidden. Still, Byungho was surprised to hear that his mother kept something hidden from him for years.</p><p>“I love your father because he gave me something I wished for over centuries. Something my old partner Adam refused to give me because there are enough angels in heaven to do the duty of looking after the supernatural and human world”, the angel began and stood up and walked over to her son. Byungho turned around fully. He couldn’t really think straight. Every thought seemed to run around in his head without letting him have a proper look at it. What was his mother referring to? </p><p>Eve gently placed her hand on Byungho’s cheek. Another thing that was common for them but right now it felt different. It felt warmer. “Your father gave me you, Byungho. My own child. That’s the biggest reason why I love him and why I will stay with him for eternity if necessary. I won’t ever regret that decision. I will never regret having you”, Eve ended. Her blue eyes held so much motherly love in them you could suffocate because of it. It made Byungho feel like crying for more than one simply reason but he kept himself composed. </p><p>Eve loved every creature and was always kind to everybody but she didn’t love anyone more than Byungho. Her son was the world to her and she would do everything to protect her world. While Byungho knew that Eve would protect her world with everything she had he never realized that he was that world. But now he also knew that his mother stayed with his terrible father because of him. </p><p>Byungho wrapped his arms around his mother and just hugged the smaller woman. Eve smiled and gently stroked her son’s back. They stayed like that for a while. Byungho refused to let himself cry. He just held his mother close and sorted his thoughts. Maybe Jisung wasn’t the only one who needed to relax with his friends. The male was so deep in thought that he didn’t even notice that his phone made its classic notification noise. </p><p>“I think you should go to your sleepover. Your friends must be waiting for you”, Eve spoke up. She sounded relived and happier again. Byungho released his mother from the hug. She just smiled when the male looked at her. It was her usual friendly and warm smile. Byungho mirrored the smile even though it could never match his mother’s. </p><p>“Go now. Don’t keep them waiting”, Eve said and picked her son’s bag and his phone up with the help of magic to give it to him. “Alright. I will be going then”, Byungho said, gave his mother a kiss on the forehead and went to his room door when he remembered another thing. </p><p>“Mum, one last thing. Did Seungmin come home today?”, the male questioned. “He did. Some time before you did. Is something wrong with him?”, Eve answered and was now a little bit unsure. Byungho shook his head. “Everything is fine. I just wanted to know because he kind of left without saying anything. Nothing new”, the male kind of lied because not everything was fine. Eve nodded, being relieved that nothing was wrong with Seungmin and then shooed Byungho finally out of the door. </p><p>The male walked down the stairs and checked his phone. Felix sent the location of Minho’s and his house in the group chat they created not long ago. He wrote “In case Minho forgot to tell you where we live XD” underneath it. Minho did forget to tell them where he lived, at least the younger ones. Byungho knew where Minho lived because the cat hybrid told him and it wasn’t that far from Chan’s house, so he had a vague idea. </p><p>Byungho smiled at the little message from Felix but suddenly he noticed a mob of red hair coming into the entrance hall from Lucifer’s library. It wasn’t Wonpil but Seungmin. He had a bag over his shoulder. Was he heading to Minho and Felix’s house? And why was he coming from the library? </p><p>“Seungmin”, Byungho called for his little half brother and jogged to him. The redhead turned around and looked at his older half brother. He didn’t seem very surprised. “First of all, bailing from the nurse office and therefore leaving Jisung to talk to someone wasn’t really the greatest move you could pull and secondly where are you heading?”, Byungho wanted to know. Seungmin seemed to think for a short couple of seconds. </p><p>“I am meeting someone who can help me find the vampire who bit Jisung so I can give them a special place in hell”, the redhead answered in an almost scarily honest tone. Byungho blinked in confusion but Seungmin was dead serious. The older male wanted to tell the younger that maybe this was a bad idea but Seungmin seemed to already know what he wanted to say. </p><p>“You can’t keep me from doing it, hyung. Just tell the guys I will crash their little party later”, the redhead said and opened the door to walk outside. Byungho followed his brother and was surprised to see Changbin on a motorcycle in front of the mansion. What was he doing here?</p><p>Seungmin walked up to the black-haired vampire without hesitation or slowing his fast steps and kind of used that his older half brother was stunned to see his quiet classmate here to take the helmet Changbin held out for him and put it on. The short male had his blank face on like he had most of the time he was in school and looked at Byungho for a short moment.</p><p>Seungmin hoped onto the back of the motorcycle and wrapped his arms around Changbin ’s stomach. The vampire started the machine and drove off. Byungho looked after them. Since when did Seungmin have anything to do with the leader of the vampire gang of Miroh High? The brown-haired male shook his head to get some thoughts out of his head. Seungmin knew what he was doing. Right?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The book of vampires</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin shows Seungmin an old artifact, which can help them find the vampire, who has bitten Jisung.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin held onto Changbin like his life was depending on it and in some way it did because the older drove way too fast for his liking, probably not caring about the speed limit either. “We will die if you drive any faster”, Seungmin yelled over the loud engine and fast wind brushing past the motorcycle. </p><p>“We won’t, don’t worry”, the black-haired vampire answered cheekily and speed up even more, which resulted in Seungmin closing his eyes and clutching onto the older but shorter male even more. “I hate you, you stupid vampire”, the redhead yelled. Changbin just laughed at that. </p><p>After one hell of a ride for Seungmin the two arrived at a dark, gothic castle, which belonged to the Seo family. The red haired demon gasped at the gigantic dark castle when he opened his eyes as Changbin slowed down with his motorcycle. The vampire prince drove into to the little garage beside the castle and turned off the engine of the motorcycle. Seungmin hoped off the machine he will now sweetly call “hell horse” and took off his helmet. Changbin parked “hell horse” properly and also took off his helmet after he got down from the motorcycle. </p><p>“Follow me”, he said, casually took Seungmin’s hand and entered the house through the door, which connected the garage with the entrance hall of the castle. Seungmin noticed a special kind of Rune on the doorframe. He saw it before in one of his potions and spells lessons. It was a protection rune, which kept everyone who wasn’t welcomed into this house from entering. That was probably why Changbin took his hand, right? </p><p>The two boys walked down the gigantic corridor and the young demon noticed how empty the castle seemed. Didn’t Changbin have servants or something like that? He knew that Changbin was an only child from Jae, so he didn’t expect to see any siblings running around like in his house but he expected some kind of maid or butler to greet them or something similar. Changbin was the vampire prince after all.</p><p>Seungmin was slightly ripped out of his thoughts when Changbin took the helmet from him and put it alongside with his own on a commode, which had other helmets on it. </p><p>“You can put your jacket on the hatrack here”, Changbin said and pointed to the item that was beside the commode. Seungmin took off his coat and put it on the hatrack. For that action Changbin let go of the younger’s hand but immediately took it again after the demon’s coat hung on the hook then they continued walking. Was the vampire afraid that Seungmin would run away or get lost if he wasn’t holding his hand? Seungmin was just dragged along by the vampire but he didn’t complain in any way. He just reminded himself of not doing that to Jisung too often in the future.</p><p>“We are going to the library. There we can get out the book of vampires and maybe find the vampire you are looking for but if we really want to find that guy we need some leads to him”, Changbin explained and navigated through the big castle without any signs of doubt, uncertainty or hesitation. Yeah, he lived here but still. Seungmin could not walk around his house like that but on a more important note the redhead was a little surprised when Changbin talked about a “book of vampires”. Wasn’t it an ancient vampire artifact, which should be protected from other creatures?</p><p>They arrived at the castle’s library and Seungmin couldn’t help but to let his mouth fall open. The library was simply gigantic and nothing compared to the library Seungmin’s father had at the Kim mansion. Everywhere were super high bookshelves with ladders attached to them and they were all filled with thousands of books. Seungmin was a prankster and troublemaker but he was also a huge book nerd and he liked knowing a lot of things about everything. This library was part of his personal heaven. If he could combine this with the ancient and rare books of his father he would quit school and just study on his own with all of this books.  </p><p>The demon was pulled along again because Changbin needed to get to the back of the library and for once Seungmin was really annoyed by that action. He wanted to continue to be in awe of the amount of books in this library. </p><p>They reached the shelf at the very back of the library in no time. Changbin let his fingers trail over some backs of some books before he took one out and reached his hand in the now created gap. Seungmin didn’t really see what he did but it made one of the shelves move inside the wall and then to the side to reveal a little room with a big black book laying on top of a podium. Changbin put the book he took out of the shelf back into it’s place and walked into the little room and dragged Seungmin with him again. </p><p>Seungmin’s mouth dropped open when he saw the black book. It really was the ancient, vampire artifact. He had read about it once in his father’s library some years ago. It was an item that was guarded and used by the royal vampire family for thousands of years. You could say that it was an open secret that they had it but no one really had a clue where it was hidden. </p><p>As far as Seungmin knew there was an ancient and lost spell casted over the book, so only creatures from royal blood were able to read the book. Those royal creatures needed to be “the heirs of a true ruler” to see what was written in the ancient artifact. The rest would only see blank pages with nothing written on them. </p><p>Vampires were one of the few species that kept having a king and queen over thousands of centuries until today. The other species all switched to other forms of leadership or never really had kings or queens to begin with. For example werwolves and hybrids since they lived in packs and clans ever since history got written down. </p><p>The redhead was too stunned to say anything at the moment. He debated in his head if Changbin was stupid or just didn’t care that he revealed his species’ most important secret to a demon and someone he barely knew. If it ever came to a war between all the species again like thousands of years ago Seungmin knew where to find the vampires’ most important treasure thanks to Changbin’s carelessness. Seungmin immediately shook his head at the thought. Such a war would tear his family apart in more than one way, so there was no way he would continue thinking about something like that.</p><p>“What’s wrong?”, Changbin asked and looked at the younger. He held the big black book to his chest with his right arm. His left hand was still occupied with holding Seungmin’s. “Nothing. I just think you are stupid because you just showed me where the book of vampires is hidden”, Seungmin scoffed, trying to let it sound humorous. </p><p>“Well we have a deal and I won’t be able to find whoever you are searching for without it. Besides I somehow trust you”, the vampire prince stated and he was serious. Seungmin blinked in confusion. Normally the redhead had no problem to process what another one was saying but now his brain just shut down. Changbin didn’t know Seungmin very well. They went to school together, yes but they officially met not long ago. Yes, they had a deal and were working together just now but that was it. The base for trust was super thin especially because Changbin still didn’t know that Seungmin was the one who pranked him and the other vampires at the first day of the new school year or at least Seungmin hoped he didn’t.</p><p>“I think we should start working or we won’t be finished until Monday”, Changbin said and here again dragged Seungmin along to a more comfortable place. The library had a little space with some soft couches, armchairs and bean bags with a coffee table in the middle of all that. The vampire prince went to that space and laid the book of vampire on the table. He finally let go of Seungmin’s hand and sat down on one of the comfortable couches. </p><p>“So. What did you find out about the vampire we are looking for?”, the vampire asked and looked to the redhead exceptionally. Seungmin shook his head again to try to shake off all the thoughts that were unnecessary right now, so he could finally focus on the task at hand. Changbin was a little confused by that action and lightly tilted his head to the side. Seungmin ignored that the older looked a little cute while doing that. </p><p>The redhead put his bag he had carried with him the whole time on the ground and pulled out Jisung’s scarf he had taken from Jeongin after the kitsune had teleported Minho, Jisung and himself to the nurse office. </p><p>“I used a pretty complicated spell on this scarf when I came home to see what the scarf witnessed more or less. So I could get a glimpse of him when he walked past the scarf”, Seungmin explained. A little bit of anger bubbled up in him again. He hated the vampire, who bit Jisung with a passion and he really wished he could send the vampire to hell. </p><p>Seungmin knew a little bit more what happened to Jisung yesterday evening than Jisung himself but he thought that it wasn’t really his place to spill all the details but Jisung’s uncle was also on Seungmin’s “Deserves a place in hell” list. Maybe someday in the future he would be able to drag them into the depths of hell.  </p><p>“Can you describe the vampire that bit your friend?”, Changbin asked and leaned forward so he could work with the book of vampires, which laid on the table in front of him. “I can show him to you”, Seungmin declared and put the scarf on the table then he closed his eyes and started to mumble a couple of spells. </p><p>Suddenly the scarf began to glow red and floated a little above the table. The red glow slowly  became something you could describe as smoke. It became more and more and began to form a figure. Changbin looked at it closely. The red smoke now showed a man in a suit. He must be around the age of thirty, judging by his physical appearance. </p><p>Seungmin stopped mumbling and slightly stumbled backwards but he caught himself before he could fall. When the demon opened his eyes again he saw Changbin right beside him. “Are you okay?”, he questioned and Seungmin could see in his black eyes that he was genuinely concerned. </p><p>“Yeah I am. But are you okay? What happened to your ‘I don’t give a damn about anything’ behavior?”, the redhead mocked the older. Changbin huffed and went back to his previous place without commenting on Seungmin’s little statement. The vampire mustered the image of the vampire Seungmin had created with Jisung’s scarf.  </p><p>The face of the man seemed to look familiar to the vampire prince because he had his eyebrows  frowned together and muster the man’s face intensely. “Do you know him?”, Seungmin asked the vampire prince. “I’m not sure. He looks familiar but I can’t remember ever having been introduced to him”, Changbin said and crossed his arms over his chest, now scanning the whole figure of the vampire until his black eyes focused on the name’s cuffs. </p><p>Seungmin followed the vampire prince’s eyes and saw that the man had special studs, that had an special emblem stamped on it. Was it a special symbol or something or why did it catch Changbin’s eyes? </p><p>“That vampire is from noble blood. Can’t believe someone from vampire nobility would force bite someone”, Changbin said and opened the book of vampires. The vampire prince opened the chapter where all vampires with noble blood were listed. Seungmin walked over to him and sat down beside him. </p><p>“Male, from noble blood, physical appearance of thirty human years, lives or works near or in Yellow Wood”, Changbin said to the book. The pages began to move on their own until it reached a page where a bunch of people with those traits where listed by their name. </p><p>Seungmin was amazed by the ancient magic that must be webbed into this book over thousands of years but that didn’t change the fact that the list of potential suspects was long. “That’s a lot of people”, Seungmin mumbled. Changbin frowned in confusion and looked at Seungmin.</p><p>“You are from royal blood? Are you the prince of hell or something”, the vampire prince asked, taking Seungmin off guard. “None of your business. Let’s just focus on the task on hand. Does this book also keep track of relationships, friendships and acquaintanceships?”, the redhead asked, immediately trying to change topic in a calm voice. Thankfully Changbin didn’t continue asking. </p><p>“Yes it does, why?”, Changbin answered. Seungmin chewed on his bottom lip. “This vampire apparently knows a certain Ro Kanho”, the redhead answered hesitantly. “Alright. Knows Ro Kanho or has a business relationship with him”, Changbin said to the book and immediately the list was shortened to five people. The vampire prince tapped on the first name. Suddenly a kind of wanted poster appeared. It showed the vampire and basic information about him. </p><p>The third vampire on the list was the one they were searching for. Seungmin already wanted to punch him just by skipping over the first few things about him. </p><p>“So Valentin King it is. He is married, has a little daughter by the age of five, is basically rich and still felt the need to drug a teenage boy and suck his blood? Yeah, I will sent this guy to hell”, Seungmin said while looking intensely at the guys face. It was him without a doubt. </p><p>Seungmin’s spell on the scarf disappeared and the item fell on the table like a normal object when the redhead snapped his fingers. They didn’t need it anymore. </p><p>“I know you want to take revenge for your friend and everything but let me help you handle this guy in an official way. I can get him behind bars for a long time with the proof you have”, Changbin reasoned, looking at Seungmin. The redhead let himself fall into the soft backrest of the couch they were sitting on. As much as Seungmin wanted to ruin this man’s whole life Changbin was right and there was still Jisung, who needed to know about all of this.</p><p>“At first I need to talk this over with the victim”, Seungmin sighed, letting all his anger wash away from him while he looked up to the high ceiling of the library. “Alright”, the black-haired vampire answered and closed the book of vampires before he leaned back too. </p><p>A silence fell over the both of them. Seungmin thought about his next steps while Changbin seemingly didn’t really have anything on his mind. </p><p>“Thank you, Changbin”, Seungmin thanked the older a second time. “Well you did your part of the deal and I did mine”, Changbin shrugged. “Yeah, but my part was to tell you how I found out that you are the vampire prince and that was easy in more than one way”, Seungmin laughed, remembering how at first he basically just took an educated guess based on the research he did. Changbin lightly punched the younger’s shoulder. The demon let out a “ouch”. </p><p>“At least now I know that you are a little nerd and you can guess good”, Changbin scoffed. “No need to call me a nerd just because I did my research”, Seungmin retorted. It really had been a good idea to go with Wonpil to meet his friends when Changbin was invited too. Otherwise he may have never noticed that the vampire prince wasn’t just a cold and stuck up vampire. </p><p>“You know I’m kinda jealous of you, Kim Seungmin”, Changbin admitted, letting Seungmin’s head snap towards the older vampire. Why would anyone be jealous of him? Changbin also turned his head, so he was facing the redhead. </p><p>“Don’t look so surprised. You have a wonderful older brother in Wonpil and as far as I know also some pretty cool friends’, the vampire explained with a light chuckle. Well, Seungmin couldn’t disagree with the vampire. Wonpil was a great older brother and Jisung was his best friend but he wasn’t sure if he could call Chan, Minho, Hyunjin, Felix and Jeongin friends yet. </p><p>Seungmin turned his head away and looked back up to the ceiling. Somehow he didn’t know if he even really belonged to this newly formed group of friends or not. Not long ago the only ones he hung out with at school were Jisung and Byungho. Now he sat together with Jeongin, Hyunjin, the Lee brothers, Chan, Byungho and Jisung every lunch and he liked the dynamic they had but he knew that it was different from just goofing around with Jisung.</p><p>“I don’t know if I can call of them real friends yet. Only time will tell me that but I know that I like hanging around with them. Especially because Jisung seems to like it”, Seungmin stated, looking at the ceiling. </p><p>“Well, you like being around them and seem fairly comfortable with them at lunch. Maybe you just need to get them to know a bit better to call them friends”, Changbin said almost a little longing. Seungmin remember that Changbin may not come off as someone without a big group of friends but the people following him surely couldn’t be described as his friends. They just followed him around and did what he said when he ever talked to them. It made Seungmin feel a bit sorry for the vampire but maybe he could help him. </p><p>“Well the people I’m hanging around with are pretty open to making new friends, so if you really want to get to know them just go for it. They will welcome you”, Seungmin then said and turned his head back, so he was facing Changbin. </p><p>“You really think that?”, Changbin asked, turning his head to face Seungmin with an raised eyebrow, seemingly being a bit skeptical. The demon nodded, meaning what he said but also remembering that the vampires, which kept following him around in school, made him look bad while in reality he seemed like a really nice guy. </p><p>“If you start hanging out with them and me you wouldn’t have to hang around with the other vampires. They seem to just annoy you, so it would be a win-win”, he added. This time it was Changbin, who turned his head away from Seungmin to look at the ceiling again. </p><p>“Yeah, they just follow me around like minions because they know who I am as you may have already realized”, the vampire prince sighed, closing his eyes in annoyance while rubbing the bridge of his nose. </p><p>“Then they really are stupid”, Seungmin chuckled humorlessly and got up from the couch. he was a bit pissed now, thinking about the vampires Changbin had to put with, knowing they were just there because he was vampire royalty. Seungmin believed that Changbin had so much more to offer than his status. </p><p>Changbin opened his eyes and looked at the redhead with his black eyes. He seemed surprised and confused at the same time, making Seungmin lightly smile.</p><p>“I think there is a lot more to you than your title, Seo Changbin and I will find out every detail”, the demon stated, letting his smile morph into a smirk. The vampire could just look at the demon with a bit of wonder in his eyes. It made him look a little cute again, which was a strong contrast to his broad stature and his black cloths.</p><p>Somehow Seungmin wished he could stay a little bit longer with the vampire but he needed to get to the house of the Lee brothers to the little sleepover the groups hade planed without him. </p><p>“Would you do me the favor to bring me to a friend’s house?”, Seungmin asked Changbin sweetly and got his phone out of his bag when he put Jisung’s scarf back in. “Of course”, the vampire replied and stood up from the couch with a smirk on his lips, that made Seungmin regret asking him. What was he planing?</p><p>The boys put the book of vampires back on its place and walked out of the library. They walked down the corridors of the castle and got Seungmin’s coat. The redhead was surprised when Changbin took his hand like before and just went on walking without the helmets. Seungmin also noted that they were heading for another door than before but it was obviously the front door. </p><p>“Okay, what are you planning?”, Seungmin asked and mustered Changbin. The vampire just smirked. “You will see when we are outside”, he answered and let Seungmin put on his coat before opening the door. When they were outside a cold wave of air greeted them. Changbin seemingly didn’t really notice the coldness even though he only wore his black leather jacket not a thick coat like Seungmin did. </p><p>“So what’s your master plan?”, Seungmin asked and put his hands in the pockets of his coat, which included the hand, that still held Changbin’s. The vampire wanted to answer but was a little bit distracted when Seungmin but their hands in his coat pocket but he snapped out of it not a minute after that. </p><p>“Uhm. You need to get on my back”, the vampire prince said, shamelessly. Seungmin blinked at him like he was waiting for Changbin to say “Ha. Just kidding” but no the vampire was serious. </p><p>So after a little discussion of who much of a bad idea this was Seungmin was on the older’s back with his legs wrapped around the vampire’s hips and his hands holding tightly onto the shorter’s shoulders. </p><p>“I still think this is a terrible idea”, Seungmin mumbled, wishing they would just use hell horse to get to the Lee’s house. “Just hold on tight then nothing happens”, Changbin laughed and held Seungmin in place with his arms. “Ready?”, the vampire asked. “No”, Seungmin answered truthfully. Changbin just smirked and began running in his supernatural speed. </p><p>Seungmin changed his mind about the holding onto the vampire’s shoulders and wrapped his arms around Changbin’s neck. “I hate you, I swear”, Seungmin cursed, which only earned him a chuckle from the older male. The redhead had his eyes closed, hoping that next time Changbin would just use his damned motorcycle to take him somewhere. If there even was a next time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Scary movie and pockys</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group’s sleepover with a little twist.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin and Jeongin arrived at the Lee’s house quite late mainly because Jeongin wasn’t able to find his favorite pink sweater. In the end he found it in Hyunjin’s closet. They had a little argument about that but got over it pretty quickly and made their way to the location Felix sent into the group chat. Both boys were excited to have this sleepover with their friends, maybe because it was their first one too. They also brought snacks with them, mainly Mikado and Pocky because Hyunjin and Jeongin loved those for no real reason. </p><p>“This is going to be great”, Hyunjin squealed like a little child when they stood in front of the door and rung the bell. Jeongin just smiled at his cousin while the siren couldn’t contain his excitement. The front door was opened by Felix, who rubbed his cat ears, not long after Hyunjin rung the bell. </p><p>“Please don’t squeal so high Hyunjin. Cat ears are sensitive ya know”, he complained. “Sorry”, Hyunjin apologized but he couldn’t wiped the happy smile of his face. This was the first sleepover he had been invited to without any intentions, so he was just overall thrilled. </p><p>“You are late”, Hyunjin heard Chan yell from the living room. “Yeah we had a little incidence”, Jeongin answered and looked at Hyunjin who immediately casted his gaze away from the younger. He totally didn’t take Jeongin’s pink sweater intentionally. No way he would never do that. Never crossed his mind.</p><p>Felix let the two inside and walked them to the living room after they had taken off their shoes and coats. Almost everyone was here already. Chan sat cross legged on one of the two mattresses on the ground, Byungho sat in one of the bean bags, that were scattered around the living room and Jisung was seated on the couch with Minho beside him. Felix went up to the couch and let himself fall on it. His head landed perfectly in Minho’s lap. The older didn’t even flinch in the slightest and just patted his brother’s head casually. </p><p>“I am really wondering why a certain someone didn’t go to school today”, Jeongin commented and let himself fall on the mattresses on the ground after he put his bag down. The rest laughed at this, knowing fully well that the “certain someone” was Felix. The cat hybrid reacted to this by sticking out his tongue like a child. </p><p>Hyunjin looked around a bit noticing that Seungmin was missing. Sure the redhead hadn’t been there when they pained the sleepover but he had hoped Byungho would bring him along but maybe he was just coming later. </p><p>“Will Seungmin come later or something?”, Hyunjin asked after he sat down beside Jeongin and looked at Byungho for an answer. “He said and I quote: I will crash the party later”, the oldest answered. “Meaning we can start a movie without him”, Minho suggested almost instantly. Hyunjin wanted to protest at first but the rest agreed to the idea a little faster.  </p><p>They ended up starting to watch a horror movie because of Jeongin. The kitsune loved horror movies for a reason Hyunjin never understood. He talked everyone into agreeing on watching a rather new horror movie that just came out called “Nightmares”. It was about a girl that had nightmares about a masked man that killed people every night. The girl endured those nightmares until she dreamed about the mask man murdering her family, which happened the next night. </p><p>Nobody really wanted to watch that movie, knowing that it was very graphic and had a lot of jump scares but Jeongin was very convincing. Nobody knew how he managed to talk everyone into watching the movie, not even Hyunjin and he had lived together with the younger his whole life. </p><p>The movie started with an already scary scene. Jisung and Felix were clinging onto Minho like they would be killed themselves if they let go of the older. The male with the light brown hair just sat between the two and tried to keep his cool but even he flinched at some points in the movie. Hyunjin hid behind Byungho because the older male seemed totally unbothered by all the scary stuff happening on screen, which he wasn’t but he was good at hiding that he was slightly scared for Hyunjin’s sake and also Chan’s. The silver-haired wolf hybrid was clinging onto Byungho’s arm and occasional hide his face in the older’s shoulder. Jeongin was the only one who sat on his own and watched the movie with no fear and an almost creepy interest. </p><p>The movie was at it’s climax when the doorbell rang and to say that this scared the hell out of everybody except the kitsune was an understatement. Jeongin paused the movie and scrabbled to his feet to open the door while everyone told him not to because it could be the killer from the movie according to Felix and Hyunjin. The blond just rolled his eyes at that and opened the door anyway. Seungmin stood there with a confused expression on his face. </p><p>“Why were you screaming like that? Who died?”, Seungmin questioned. “We are watching a horror movie that’s why”, Jeongin chuckled in amusement. Seungmin lightly laughed at that and entered the house while Jeongin closed and locked the door behind him. Hyunjin looked past Byungho’s shoulder to look at the newcomer just to make sure it wasn’t the murder from the movie and it wasn’t. A relief. </p><p>“So you finally showed up”, Minho commented and looked at Seungmin with a little bit of an accusation in his eyes. “Yup”, the redhead responded simply and took off his coat and shoes. He put his bag to Jeongin’s and Hyunjin’s and sat down on the mattresses near his brother. </p><p>“Are you scared of horror movies like that one?”, Hyunjin asked, pointing at the TV screen. Seungmin looked at the screen and then back to Hyunjin, seemingly unbothered by the gruesome image shown. </p><p>“Usually I’m not”, he answered, grinning a little. “Great”, Hyunjin replied, robbed over to Seungmin and hugged the redhead from behind. “I’m very scared and Byungho is no help”, the siren mumbled, laying his head on Seungmin’s shoulder. “Well, excuse me for not being any help”, Byungho huffed but in a humorous way. </p><p>“You know, Hyunjin is smart”, Felix spoke up and hoped off the couch to walk over to Jeongin. Hyunjin had to refer from chuckling when Felix took Jeongin’s arm, clinging onto it like a little child while Jeongin just looked confused. </p><p>“What are you doing?”, Jeongin asked, looking at the kitsune. “You will protect me from the scary movie you chose”, the ginger deadpanned. That had everyone laugh a little while Jeongin accepted that he now had a cat hybrid clinging onto his arm for the rest of the movie. </p><p>“Is everyone settled now?”, the kitsune asked and reached for the remote. The answer to that wasn’t really convincing but Jeongin pushed the play button anyway. The scene they stopped at continued and Hyunjin instantly hid his face in Seungmin’s shoulder. Unlike Byungho Seungmin really showed no sign of fear, he didn’t flinch, his muscles didn’t tense, he was just relaxed and let Hyunjin hide behind him. </p><p>When the credits started to roll most members of the group were still too shocked and scared to move. “I will never let Jeongin choose a movie again”, Jisung broke the silence while he was clinging onto Minho for dear life. Seungmin started laughing at that while Jeongin complained about the movie being absolutely not scary, letting a friendly little argument break out. </p><p>“Not scary my ass. The corpses with the ripped off heads and limbs looked totally real”, Felix argued with the youngest. “They didn’t, you could see that it was just a doll”, Jeongin shot back, crossing his arms. The cat hybrid let go of the blond, grabbed a pillow and smacked it over the kitsune‘s head. Jeongin turned around. </p><p>“How dare you, cat”, he called out, grabbed a pillow and threw it after the ginger. He missed the cat hybrid, who had ducked and then stuck his tongue. But the pillow did hit Jisung in the face. </p><p>“Hey, I did nothing to you”, the warlock complained and threw the pillow back to Jeongin. The blond ducked and the pillow hit Seungmin and Hyunjin on the side of their heads. </p><p>“Okay. That’s it. This means war”, Seungmin declared, took the pillow that was thrown at him and Hyunjin, wiggled out of the siren’s grip and smashed it into Jisung’s face or at least he tried because in the end he hit Minho because Jisung let himself fall to the side. That was the point were the pillow fight fully erupted. The house was filled with laughs, giggles, yells, sometimes screams and a lot of pillows, which flew around. It was a wonder that nothing broke.</p><p>Everybody behaved probably ten years younger than they actually were. They threw the pillows around like careless children and just seemed so happy. For this moment they were truly happy. They didn’t think about their families, their futures or their pasts. For this moment they just lived in the here and now even if that meant getting a pillow smacked into the face. </p><p>After a good two hours of their pillow “war”, like they would call it, they all collapsed somewhere on the mattresses, couch or beanbags, breathing a little heavily. Some feathers were laying around but nothing else, which was a miracle. </p><p>“I think we should do something that requires less energy”, Byungho suggested, ruffling his brown hair to get the feathers, that were in it, out. Everybody agreed with him on that since they were all a little bit tired now. </p><p>“I have an idea for that”, Jeongin spoke up and started to smirk lightly. Hyunjin was a little bit worried about that smirk. The kitsune got up from his place on the couch and went to his bag to get out a lot of Mikado and Pocky along with some other snacks. The blond laid them down in the middle of the mattresses. </p><p>“We can eat snacks and play the Pocky game”, the kitsune suggested and nearly looked proud of himself. Hyunjin chuckled a little bit, being glad that his cousin didn’t have another idea. Nobody had anything against the kitsune’s idea. It was a harmless game after all. </p><p>“We will need a bottle for that”, Minho stated and got up to get one. In the meantime the rest formed a circle with the snacks more or less in the middle because they needed space for the bottle.</p><p>————————— </p><p>Seungmin sat down beside Jisung to hopefully reduce the chance of playing the pocky game with his best friend. The blue-haired male didn’t spare the redhead a glance. Seungmin felt a little bit guilty. He knew that Jisung must have felt kind of betrayed when he ditched him to talk to Changbin to find out who bit the young warlock without saying anything to anyone. </p><p>“I am sorry, Jisung”, Seungmin apologized with his demon voice so only the warlock could hear him. Jisung didn’t really show a reaction, so Seungmin took the warlock’s hand and held it like he did back in middle school when they were about to be scolded for a prank they pulled on teachers or other students, who had made fun of them. </p><p>Jisung was always scared of being scolded so Seungmin got better at pranks, which didn’t give away who caused them to protect the warlock from being scolded and therefore for being scared. Yes, Seungmin really had his own ways of showing affection. He did a lot of things behind someone’s back, keeping a lot of secrets almost accidentally. </p><p>For example, he didn’t talk with the rest about the sleepover but came anyway because through Felix’s text he knew that something was going was on in the Lee’s house and he simply figured that it was more or less for Jisung. He was right with that conclusion. What the redhead didn’t know was if he was wanted there or not but he wanted to be here for Jisung no matter what, so he came. </p><p>Seungmin was strange, sometimes a little devil, sometimes rude, sometimes borderline cute but no matter what, he would always protect his friends even if they didn’t realize it. He would always have their back in situations they may think were hopeless. </p><p>Jisung didn’t pull his hand away from Seungmin’s grip. “I will explain to you why I left you alone today but later when we are somewhere alone. You deserve to know after all”, Seungmin continued to talk to Jisung with his demon voice. The warlock still didn’t react much but Seungmin felt that Jisung lightly squeezed his hand now. That was enough for Seungmin and a little smile was seen on his lips. </p><p>Minho came back at some point with an empty glass bottle and laid it down in the middle of the circle before sitting down between Felix and Hyunjin. </p><p>“Who wants to start?”, the older cat hybrid asked. “Jeongin”, Felix and Hyunjin said in union, which caused the rest to laugh a little. “Alright. To whoever the head of the bottle points has to play the pocky game with me and is allowed to pick the Pocky or Mikado. Whoever the bottom points at is the next one who has to spin”, Jeongin explained and everybody nodded. The blond spun the bottle and waited. The head of the bottle landed on Seungmin and the bottom to Hyunjin. </p><p>“Already?”, the redhead huffed, questioning his luck. Jisung laughed at Seungmin’s expression and let go of his best friend’s hand so he could pick a Mikado or Pocky. </p><p>The redhead picked the strawberry flavored pocky since he wanted to try it, opened the package and gave it to Jeongin. The blond took one pocky out and put the end without the strawberry chocolate on it between his lips. Seungmin regretted his life choices when he seated himself in front of the younger. He hesitated for a moment but then manned up, laid his hands on the younger’s shoulders and began to nosh the pocky down. The redhead’s lips came closer to the blond’s and closer and closer. But before anything really happened Seungmin let the pocky break on “accident”. </p><p>Jeongin ate the rest casually. He wasn’t flustered at all and remained completely calm throughout the whole thing. Seungmin let go of the younger’s shoulders and looked to the others. Because they became pretty much silent. Felix and Jisung kind of stared at the two with their mouths opened a little bit. </p><p>“What?”, Seungmin asked with an raised eyebrow. “How can you two be not flustered at all?!”, Felix shrieked. Seungmin looked back to Jeongin, who just shrugged. “Some just don’t get flustered easily”, the kitsune simply said. Seungmin agreed with that and went back to his spot beside Jisung, feeling a bit smug if he was honest. </p><p>Hyunjin had to spin so he did. The head pointed on himself so he had to spin again. This time the head landed on Felix and the bottom was more or less pointed at Byungho. The ginger was already flustered when he picked the white chocolate Mikado. </p><p>“Hyunjin, thin ice”, Minho grumbled when Felix sat down in front of the siren. “Hyung, don’t”, Felix whined and looked at his overprotective brother while the others laughed including the siren. Seungmin grinned a little bit, knowing that this would be fun, especially Minho’s reaction if Hyunjin managed to finish the game. </p><p>Hyunjin did the same like Jeongin before but his eyes never left Felix freckled face, which made it even harder for the ginger to not blush. Damn Hyunjin for being a siren. Felix began to nosh the pocky but didn’t come far. It broke before he reached the half of it which earned him a little triumph cry from Minho and a lot of laughter because the pocky probably broke because of Felix nervousness. Seungmin was a little disappointed since he would have loved to see Minho’s reaction to Hyunjin ‘kissing’ his little brother but on the other hand he also felt a bit relieved but didn’t know why. </p><p>Hyunjin munched the rest of the pocky but never took his eyes off Felix while the ginger wanted to get up to go back to his previous spot but the siren pulled him down and gave him a harmless peck on the lips, which let the ginger’s face become as red as tomato. The rest of the group gasped loudly followed by screaming, overdramatic “fainting” and Minho nearly committing murder if it wasn’t for Chan holding him back. </p><p>“Hwang Hyunjin the ice just broke. You are dead to me”, Minho threatened while being held back by Chan. Everybody knew that Minho wasn’t serious but the siren still looked a bit scared while Felix was shook by Jeongin because the ginger was malfunctioning. </p><p>“Hyunjin you broke Felix”, Jeongin said while continuing to shake Felix by his shoulders. “Oh, should I kiss him again? Maybe that solves the problem”, the siren asked innocently. Everybody shrieked “No” in union. The loudness got Felix finally out of his daze and they could continue playing. </p><p>It was Byungho’s turn. The head of the bottle landed on Chan and the bottom was on Jeongin. Everybody cheered at that because they definitely wanted to see that, especially Seungmin, who knew that the two of them had been friends for some time now but the way they sometimes looked at each other told an entirely different story. </p><p>————————</p><p>Chan chose the classical brown chocolate pocky and sat down in front of Byungho. The wolf hybrid’s heart pounded at an unnecessary speed. It was just a game. He probably wouldn’t even come close to Byungho’s lips would he? </p><p>The oldest of the group took one pocky out of the package Chan held and put the part without chocolate in between his lips. He laid his hands on Chan’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes, which didn’t help the silver-haired male’s pounding heart in the slightest. No, it just became worst but still Chan began to nosh down the pocky carefully. The wolf hybrid tried to concentrate on that and not Byungho’s beautiful dark eyes but he couldn’t help it. Since when were his eyes so beautiful? Was Chan ever this close to the older before? He couldn’t recall a memory that said yes. Maybe that’s why he never noticed the golden glimmer in the dark, almost black orbs. </p><p>Before Chan could properly register it his nose bumped against Byungho’s and their lips touched for a short second, letting the whole room erupt in shrieks and screams of Felix, Seungmin, Jisung and Hyunjin while Minho just covered his ears. </p><p>Chan pulled away immediately when he realized why they were all screaming. He pulled up the hood of his sweater over his head and hid his face as good as he could. “I am so sorry, Byungho”, he apologized without looking at the older because he was pretty sure he looked like Felix after Hyunjin had pecked him on the lips. He felt how Byungho took his hands off his shoulders while lightly laughing. “That’s the game, Channie. No need to apologize”, the oldest chuckled. </p><p>The wolf hybrid slightly raised his hood to look at the older who just smiled warmly. The word Chan thought he just imagined to have heard when his and Byungho’s lips met for a short second repeated itself now more clearly in his head: “Mate”. Chan pushed that thought away when he looked down to the floor. Byungho couldn’t be the person destiny chose for him, could he? </p><p>——————————</p><p>They continued to play the pocky game after everyone calmed down again and returned to their previous place. It was Jeongin’s turn again and this time the head of the bottle pointed at Minho and the bottom to Jisung. The older cat hybrid picked the white chocolate Mikado. Nothing happened between those two, the pocky broke before their lips met and they both stayed absolutely calm, letting everyone question how that was even possible.  </p><p>Jisung was the next one and fate chose Hyunjin for him. Jisung panicked a little bit that was why the strawberry pocky he had chosen broke almost at the beginning, which made everyone laugh because the warlock more or less reacted the same way Felix did but the blue-haired male didn’t get a peck on the lips from the siren. Minho made sure of that by glaring holes into the siren, which he got teased for but the last person, who would let himself get teased was Minho, so it died down quickly. </p><p>They continued to play some more rounds. Seungmin had to play with Minho, which was the most hilarious thing the group has ever seen because they just glared at each other, resulting in a quickly broken chocolate pocky. After that Jisung had to play again but this time with Byungho. That was when the group discovered that Jisung panicked very easily because even with the calm Byungho the pocky broke very quickly. </p><p>After that was Felix’s turn and fate chose Jeongin for him. The cat hybrid was in full panic mode while Jeongin was as calm as someone could be. After that was it Felix’s turn again but they decided to let Chan spin the bottle instead and the head pointed to Minho again. The group witnessed how Minho made Chan panic by just looking at him. Of course this was followed by laughter and a flustered wolf hybrid. </p><p>Then it was Jisung’s turn and the bottle pointed towards Minho yet again. The older cat hybrid seemed to have nothing against being picked for the second time in a row, so he chose the strawberry pocky and sat down in front of the blue-haired male. Meanwhile the young warlock started to panic internally. This felt different. Yes, he panicked when he had to play the pocky game with Hyunjin and even with Byungho but now he had the feeling that he wasn’t breathing properly while his heart tripled it’s original speed. </p><p>The rest of the group casually talked while Jisung continued to be in his own little world, trying to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. He only snapped out of it because Minho shook the pocky package in front of his face. “Sorry”, he mumbled while taking one pocky out of the package. Minho just smirked while watching him, making the warlock already feel like Minho prepared himself to tease him. </p><p>The warlock took the pocky between his lips and fixed his eyes on Minho’s face because there wasn’t much else to look at. When the older cat hybrid’s eyes met Jisung’s, every background noise seemed to fade into nothingness. Minho noshed down the pocky teasingly slowly but also careful so it wouldn’t break while his eyes never left Jisung’s. The young warlock’s heart was speeding up the closer Minho got. At some point it was so fast and loud Jisung was pretty sure the sensitive ears of the cat hybrid could pick up on it. </p><p>When Minho was so close that he had to tilt his head so their noses wouldn’t bump together their eye contact broke and Jisung closed his eyes out of pure reflex. Minho was too close for his nerves to handle, way too close. The next thing Jisung knew was that something really soft came in contact with his lips. It felt so smooth and warm but it left way too quickly. </p><p>When Jisung heard shrieking and screaming erupt around him his brain finally caught up and he opened his eyes. Minho sat in front of him and covered his cat ears with an annoyed expression on his face because everybody was freaking out again. Hyunjin had his arms wrapped around Seungmin and lightly shook the younger while hiding his face in the redhead’s yellow sweater while the redhead’s jaw just hung open but only for a short moment since in the next Jisung was glad that Hyunjin was clinging onto his best friend because Seungmin looked ready to fight Minho with all his might. </p><p>The warlock sat there looking like a very red tomato while his brain still needed to register that Minho had kissed him more or less. Jisung looked at Minho, who grimaced because the rest was so loud and it really hurt in his cat ears. Felix on the other hand was fine because he was one of the loudest ones. </p><p>Minho let his eyes focus on Jisung’s met, which made the warlock’s face become an even darker shade of red. The cat hybrid just showed him a little grin and that was the point where Jisung was sure that Minho had caught up to the fact that the warlock thought he was really handsome and kind of hot. </p><p>Everybody took a while to calm down and Jisung had to reassure Seungmin two times that it was fine that Minho kissed him, so the redhead would leave the older cat hybrid alive. It also was pretty late already, so they all agreed to just watch Frozen and eat the rest of the snacks like normal people. </p><p>—————————</p><p>Jeongin was the first one to fall asleep along with Felix. The two were cuddled up together on one of the mattresses and it was just cute to look at how Felix was attached to the youngest of the group while the kitsune was looking absolutely content and comfortable. Byungho covered them properly with a blanket so they wouldn’t be cold because the one they originally had was wrapped around their legs in a way were it wasn’t covering them at all. </p><p>In the middle of the movie Seungmin fell asleep on Byungho’s shoulder. Nobody could blame him for that. He sat on the comfy couch with Byungho, whose shoulder was super comfortable to lay on, beside him while being covered with a fluffy blanket. The group’s oldest decided that he wanted to spare Seungmin the neck pain the younger would have tomorrow if he really slept on his shoulder and carefully laid down, so his younger brother could sleep on top of him with his head resting on his chest. </p><p>“You are really taking care of everyone like a mum”, Hyunjin commented as he watched Byungho stroking Seungmin’s back softly like a mother would. The oldest turned his head to the siren, who sat beside a very sleepy Jisung who would probably fall asleep any minute. “I just want everyone to be comfortable and happy but sometimes it’s pretty hard to achieve that”, Byungho answered truthfully. Hyunjin just smiled kindly. “I still think you are doing a pretty good job”, the siren responded and mustered Seungmin, who seemed really comfortable laying on Byungho. He just looked like a happy little puppy. </p><p>“Thank you”, the oldest said and also looked at his brother. He still wanted to know what was going on in the head of his demonic little half brother but he also knew that Seungmin had his own ways of handling things. </p><p>Byungho and Hyunjin continued to watch the movie. Jisung fell asleep during the little conversation between the two and Hyunjin couldn’t help himself from cuddling up to the younger. He fell asleep not long after that which left the three oldest awake but Byungho looked like he was sleeping already with his eyes closed. Chan sat in one of the bean bags while Minho laid on his stomach next to Jisung and Hyunjin. </p><p>———————————</p><p>The older cat hybrid carefully got up in order to not wake Jisung to turn the TV off after the movie ended. “Hey Minho”, he heard Chan whisper yell. Minho turned his attention to the wolf hybrid. “Can we talk somewhere?”, the older asked still whispering. The cat hybrid nodded and carefully tiptoed around the places where the others were sleeping. </p><p>He gestured Chan to follow him. They both quietly walked out of the living room thinking everybody was asleep. Minho lead Chan upstairs into his room and closed the door behind them. </p><p>“Nobody should be able to hear us up here, not even Felix if he was awake”, the cat hybrid stated. “I wouldn’t mind if Felix heard it if he kept quiet about it but doesn’t matter. I need your opinion on something as a hybrid”, Chan explained and nervously fiddled with the hem of his shirt. Minho’s ears shot up in interest. “Alright. Spill the tea”, he said and walked over to his bed to sit down on it cross legged. He patted the spot next to him so Chan would sit down instead of standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. </p><p>“You know how every hybrid has a destined mate like a werewolf but can’t tell who it is by scent but by the first direct lip contact?”, Chan asked more or less rhetorical. Minho just nodded. Every hybrid learned about the mate thing from their parents or at school. It was important to them after all and Minho already knew what Chan was trying to say more or less. </p><p>“Well I think ... Byungho is my mate”, the wolf hybrid said hesitantly like he wasn’t really sure how the cat hybrid would react. Minho just smiled while his tail began to swipe over the surface of his bed excitedly. </p><p>“That’s great, Chan”, he congratulated the wolf hybrid. Minho was glad that he wasn’t the only one, who had found his mate tonight and Chan seemed relived to have Minho on his side. “I will let you in on a secret. I also found my mate tonight”, Minho stated with an even wider smile. The older male gasped. “No way. Jisung?”, he asked and looked at the cat hybrid expectingly. Minho nodded and now it was Chan’s turn to smile wide. </p><p>They both knew that some problems will wait for them with their mates being from other species and male but for now they were glad that they found them. It wasn’t common for hybrids to find their mates at such an young age because you just couldn’t give every person in the world a peck on the lips to see if that person was your destined mate or not. That was why Chan and Minho were so excited and happy. They found their mate at such a young age, meaning they didn’t have to search for them when they were older. </p><p>The two hybrids talked a little bit about how they recognized their mates and it was more or less the same story. They both heard a voice saying “Mate” in their head when their lips touched their mate’s and then heard it again when they looked at them the first time after the lip contact. </p><p>“I think destiny knew I had nothing for girls”, Minho said and let himself fall backwards so he was laying on the bed. “Did you ever tell that anybody?”, Chan asked, looking at the cat hybrid. “Nobody asked”, the cat hybrid shrugged. Chan had to refer from chuckling. That answer was just so ... Minho. </p><p>“You need to tell your family at some point. Also your friends”, the silver-haired male said. His eyes never left the younger until Minho sat up again looking at the door of his room. “Yeah ... sure. I wish it was that easy”, the cat hybrid mumbled the last part but Chan noticed anyway, which made some protective instincts kick in. He put a hand on Minho’s shoulder to give the other hybrid some sort of reassurance and comfort. </p><p>“I don’t know your parents but I am pretty sure they love you very dearly and you love them so they shouldn’t have anything against it. It’s your mate after all and besides I think Felix would support you with his whole heart”, Chan said. Minho slightly chuckled at that. </p><p>“Yeah, because I don’t think Felix is straight either. At least not after he became a tomato because Hyunjin gave him a little kiss on the lips”, the male with the light brown hair chuckled. “We will let him decide that”, the wolf hybrid said and patted Minho’s shoulder. </p><p>They were silent for a moment because they were both sorting things out in their heads. “You know, I never put much thought into things like that. I just always said to myself since I was young that whoever my mate is I will love them with my whole heart and no one else, so I never found it strange that I didn’t feel anything when a girl kissed me because I just figured it wasn’t my mate and that’s why I don’t feel sparkles or butterflies or whatever”, Minho told the older. Chan nodded because understood the younger in that point. </p><p>“I actually thought a lot about it in my second year at Miroh High. I just never talked to anyone about it because Byungho was not a hybrid so I thought he wouldn’t understand, I didn’t want to talk about with my mother because she had other stuff to worry about at that time, my little brother was just too young to talk to him about that and didn’t have any close hybrid friends at that time, so I more or less forced that topic into the back of my head but it came up again when a girl wanted to ask me out. I didn’t know what to do so I panicked and kind of said yes but not really but she took it as a yes. I understand the kissing part wholeheartedly believe me. I think the only difference is that I felt nothing and also really uncomfortable when she kissed me. Sounds stupid, I know. We broke up for the better after three weeks of dating and that was also the point where I told my family that I probably don’t like girls and they took it pretty well”, Chan explained. </p><p>Minho looked a little bit caught off guard by the openness of the other and he didn’t know what to say to that at first but then a question popped into his head. “Does Byungho know?”, the cat hybrid wondered. Chan nodded. “Told him a week after I told my family”, the older responded. “His reaction was kind of adorable and funny to be honest. We sat in my room when I told him. He needed a short second to get what I was saying and then his eyes lit up like a lightbulb. The surprise for me was that he already knew and was super happy that I finally told him”, the wolf hybrid chuckled because of the last part of the memory. Minho smiled but it slowly faded when he thought about telling his family and friends. </p><p>“Trust me, Minho. It will be okay. I am here if you need me”, Chan comforted the younger when he noticed how Minho’s mood went slowly downhill. The cat hybrid nodded. He believed Chan and trusted him. The wolf hybrid would have his back, he didn’t doubt that for one second. “Thanks”, Minho mumbled. Chan smiled at that. “Anytime”, he responded and patted the younger’s shoulder again like a father would. </p><p>They went downstairs again after a while to lay down and finally go to sleep. Minho got himself a pillow and a blanket and laid down beside Jisung while Chan went back to the bean bag he sat in before also with a blanket in his hand. Minho looked at Jisung, who was hugged Hyunjin. He looked so peaceful and content it made Minho feel fuzzy and warm inside despite the fact that someone else was hugging him. The cat hybrid was glad that the blue-haired male could laugh and smile today even though something terrible happened to him yesterday. </p><p>Minho decided for himself to protect Jisung from everyone who wanted to harm him. He wouldn’t leave the younger alone if he needed him like he promised and he would tell the younger that he was his mate somewhere in the nearer future.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Brunch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Felix and Jeongin having a little moment and Jisung hoping to finally get some answers from Seungmin.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning arrived and Jeongin was the first one to wake up. Felix still hugged him close and if Jeongin was honest to himself it felt nice being wrapped up in someone’s arms but the kitsune wouldn’t admit that to anyone, so despite being comfortable he wiggled out of Felix’s embrace and sat up to look around. He noticed that he was the only one awake. The Kim brothers still slept soundly on the couch, Chan was curled up on one of the bean bags with his eyes still closed and a blanket draped over him and Hyunjin, Jisung and Minho slept on the big mattress next to the one, that was occupied by Felix and Jeongin. It was funny to see how Hyunjin had an arm put over Jisung while the warlock was cuddled into Minho’s side. </p><p>If Jeongin knew where his phone was he would have made a picture of them but the living room still looked like a battlefield from the pillow fight so he just hoped it was in his bag and not buried under pillows and bean bags or accidentally crushed by someone. </p><p>The young fox spirit looked around to find a clock or something else, that would tell him the time since he wanted to know how late it was. He found a digital clock just above the TV. It read ‘10:46 am’ in bold red letters. The blond sighed and let himself fall back onto the mattress. He thought about cuddling up to Felix again and pretending that he never woke up but in the moment he considered doing it the ginger cat hybrid stirred because the warm body he had been cuddling all night was gone. </p><p>“Jeongin? Are you awake already?”, Felix asked in a deep, raspy voice. The kitsune slightly flinched because he was ripped out of his thoughts and he wasn’t used to Felix’s morning voice. He knew that the cat hybrid had a voice that was deeper than average, which didn’t match his cute freckled face but right now he sounded like he had crawled out of the depths of hell.</p><p>“Woke up around ten minutes ago”, the blond answered calmly after his initial shock was over and looked at the young cat hybrid, who was laying beside him. The orange-haired male smiled sleepily at the youngest of the group and it was somehow confusing for the kitsune, who felt like he heard a demon talk but then saw an angel smiling at him. After all Felix looked and acted like the personification of a sunshine and his smile was just as bright as the sun itself. </p><p>Felix cleared his throat and sat up glancing at the clock above the Tv for a brief moment before focusing back on the kitsune. “Wanna make brunch for everybody? Since it’s a bit late for breakfast”, the cat hybrid asked in a now less raspy voice but it was still deeper than usual. Jeongin nodded, not really knowing what to say if he was honest and carefully stood up, so he wouldn’t accidentally step on someone. Felix did the same just more gracefully than Jeongin and the two made their way to the kitchen. The orange-haired cat hybrid closed the door of the dining room that lead to the living room and also the door that lead from the kitchen to the little entrance hall. </p><p>“Now we can burn down the kitchen without the others noticing”, Felix joked and Jeongin chuckled at the older’s comment. The two started to make brunch for everyone. They settled on pancakes and some fresh, warm breads with marmalade and talked a bit while preparing all that. After a while of just talking over the gods know what, they started to discuss the pocky game from yesterday. </p><p>“I was super surprised when I saw how calm you were literally every time it was your turn”, Felix commented when he finished preparing the dough for the pancakes. “If I’m honest I just pretended to be calm and collected but I really wasn’t on the inside”, Jeongin chuckled and looked at the breads they put into the oven so they would be warm when the rest woke up. When Jeongin was good at something then it was tricking people into thinking he was a calm and collected person, that alway kept a cool head in every situation while in reality he was often nervous and a little scared. </p><p>Felix looked like he had been fooled by that too, since surprise was written all over his freckled face, making the kitsune laugh a little bit at him. “I am a kitsune. I am good at pretending and I can trick anyone into believing my lies”, the blond explained with a mischievous grin on his lips. Felix scrunched up his nose in thought and turned his attention back on making the dough to actual pancakes. </p><p>Jeongin became a little bit insecure because of that reaction. Did he do something wrong? Did he upset the other with something he said? Would Felix start disliking him for having a facade up most of the time? He didn’t want to be disliked by the other. They were friends weren’t they?</p><p>“Being good at lying and tricking people is a bit mean, I think. But it’s your nature ....”, the cat hybrid trailed off. He seemed to be still in thought. Jeongin just hoped onto the counter and began playing with the silver ring on his middle finger. It was one of Jeongin’s ticks that showed themselves when he was nervous, insecure or anxious. It was sometimes hard for him to hide this tick, even though he was a kitsune, a master of a trickster. </p><p>The kitchen became silent. The only sound you could hear was the hissing of melted butter when Felix put pancake dough into the frying pan along with the quiet sound the oven made while producing hot air. </p><p>“Man, this is complicated to think about. Just don’t trick us too often, Jeongin, even though we probably wouldn’t even notice most of the time”, the orange-haired male finished voicing his train of thoughts while still being focused on making pancakes. “I am sorry, Felix”, the kitsune mumbled without noticing himself while he stared at the ring on his finger.</p><p>In the corner of his eyes Jeongin saw how Felix cat ears perked up but the kitsune just lightly shook his head and continued to play with the ring on his middle finger while his eyes were fixed on his lap. He should have known that even people, who he considered friends would have an issue with his natural ability to deceive them or talk them into things. Nobody liked a trickster after all, which was one of the reason why kitsunes weren’t common within the supernatural community. They were known to be natural trouble makers. </p><p>Suddenly Felix left his previous spot, went over to Jeongin and hugged the younger, surprising the kitsune quite a bit. “I should say sorry, not you. I said some stupid things, didn’t I? I got no clue about fox spirits and shouldn’t try to lecture you on that. Just forget I said anything. I am so sorry that I hurt you, Jeongin. I didn’t mean to”, Felix ranted, hugging the blond a little closer. Jeongin couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle after hearing Felix rant, despite his teary eyes. He wrapped his arms around the older’s shoulders and just let the anxiety and fear he had felt fall off him. Felix was just precious, he realized that now.  </p><p>The two boys stayed like that for a while. Jeongin didn’t want this little moment to end for some reason, so he sneakily turned off the stove and oven with his magic so nothing would begin to burn while they stayed like this. He didn’t want the kitchen to burn down after all. </p><p>“Uhhh. What is this about?”, the two boys heard someone ask. They both turned their heads towards the voice. It was Hyunjin, who had just entered the kitchen through the dining room. He was tiredly rubbing his eyes, looking like he was seeing something he couldn’t believe. Maybe it was because Felix stood between Jeongin’s legs and had his arms wrapped around the kitsune’s lower abdomen while the fox spirit was sitting on the kitchen counter and had his arms draped around the cat hybrid’s shoulders. You couldn’t consider that a normal sight, especially not if you knew Jeongin like Hyunjin did. </p><p>“We are making brunch for everyone”, Felix answered without moving away from Jeongin but still smiling brightly while his cat tail swayed back and forth in an even rhythm. Jeongin nodded in agreement, internally hoping that Hyunjin wouldn’t comment on their current position. And he luckily didn’t. The siren just squinted his eyes at them. </p><p>“Of course”, he said slowly while nodding. He sounded like he didn’t really believe them but he couldn’t miss the smell of pancakes, so he strolled into the kitchen and looked at the pan with a half finished pancake in it. </p><p>“And why is the stove turned off?”, the siren questioned and looked at the two younger males. “Oh, is it?”, Felix asked with eyes widened in surprise. Jeongin let go of the cat hybrid, so he could walk over to Hyunjin even though he wanted to keep the cat hybrid close for a little while longer. Felix went over to Hyunjin and turned the stove back on, continuing to make pancakes. </p><p>Felix and Jeongin finished preparing the brunch with a little of Hyunjin’s help. They began to set up everything in the dining room when Chan joined them. The wolf hybrid was quite surprised to see Felix, Jeongin and Hyunjin doing something like preparing a meal, which offended the three self proclaimed cooks a little bit. The four of them talked and joked around while they finished setting everything up. After that they heard Jisung and Minho enter the dining room snickering. The two seemingly had to show the four of them something and waved everybody into the living room.</p><p>“Byungho-hyung is having a crisis”, Jisung explained in a quiet tone, barely being able to contain his laughter. “Of course I am having a crisis. Whoever wakes him will be murdered”, they heard Byungho whisper yell back, which earned him a couple of muffled laughters from everyone. </p><p>The problem was at hand. Byungho has been awake for a good half an hour now but didn’t dare to move because Seungmin still slept safe and soundly on top of him. And there laid the problem: Seungmin, who looked criminally cute while sleeping, will murder the person, who dared to wake him without hesitation. At this point though Byungho’s body was kind of numb despite the young redhead not being really heavy and it was uncomfortable as hell. </p><p>Byungho exhaled deeply and was back at having an internal crisis while the rest tried hard not to laugh loudly but everyone was immediately quiet when Seungmin stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Like all good friends they left Byungho alone with the sleepy redhead, who could become the cause of his death if he was unlucky enough.</p><p>———————— </p><p>Seungmin grumbled a little bit and slowly opened his eyes, looking up to his older brother. His sleepy expression looked cute in every imaginable way. He looked like a damn puppy, it was almost devastating. </p><p>“Morning, hyung”, he mumbled while rubbing his eyes cutely. “Morning, Seungmin”, Byungho responded and tousled trough Seungmin’s red hair, thanking every deity that the young demon didn’t plan somebody’s murder.  </p><p>When Seungmin put his hand away from his face, looking at Byungho with his cute morning face, was all it took to let the oldest of the group forget that he felt uncomfortable a minute prior because his whole body was going numb. The redhead seemingly didn’t really like getting off his older brother but had to after some minutes because Jisung carefully walked into the living room again to tell the two that they had to hurry up if they wanted something to eat. Seungmin groaned before getting up, making Byungho lightly chuckle. </p><p>After grumbling a while about how comfortable he was Seungmin was seated at the dining table with Byungho beside him. Did he escape the other’s teasing about him being a sleepy head? Of course not but one glare of the redhead was enough to shut up most of them. </p><p>All eight friends happily ate their surprisingly delicious food and conversed without a care in the world but the fun had to end at some point. They all had to return home, so everybody helped tiding everything up. </p><p>———————————</p><p>The harsh reality of going back to his uncle slowly began to make Jisung more and more afraid. He didn’t tell Minho anything about his uncle and therefore the older cat hybrid didn’t know that Jisung was down right terrified to go back to his uncle’s place. </p><p>Hyunjin and Jeongin were the first ones that had to go since they had a time limit set by Hyunjin’s mother. They bid their goodbyes and went on their way, hurrying quite a bit while mumbling something about Hyunjin’s mother killing them if they were late. Jisung kept up his happy and hyperactive facade, so nobody would worry about him while his anxiety was eating away every real positive emotion he possessed. </p><p>“Hey Jisung. Today’s plan can’t be changed by the way”, Seungmin suddenly spoke up while he threw some pillows onto the couch. Jisung looked in confusion at the redhead but then he remembered that Seungmin wanted to talk to him yesterday about something. Something he had the right know but the redhead also mentioned that he couldn’t talk about it at that moment. No matter what it was if it meant not going to his uncle he would take that opportunity no matter what.</p><p>“No problem for me”, the blue-haired male answered with a bright smile while helping Minho bring some folded blankets upstairs. He really hoped that Seungmin would save him a while longer from going back to his uncle.</p><p>Chan had to go next. His mother wanted him home because he needed to watch his younger brother. Before he left he pulled Jisung aside and told the younger that if he ever needed anything he could talk to him, he would help him. Jisung just nodded, being kind of overwhelmed by this sudden statement but thanked the wolf hybrid nonetheless. </p><p>Byungho and Seungmin wanted to leave not long after Chan. Jisung was just pulled along by Seungmin, so the warlock had quickly told Minho that he would bring back his cloths on Monday. The older cat hybrid had just replied with “I will make you wear another one of my shirts the next time you come here”. Seungmin then had dragged a blushing Jisung out of the house while glaring daggers at Minho.</p><p>Jisung walked between Byungho and Seungmin, not questioning why Seungmin had dragged him along but he assumed it was about whatever the redhead wanted to talk about. The warlock put his hands into the pockets of his coat and tried his best to stay warm. “Oh”, Seungmin suddenly said, which startled Jisung a little bit. The redhead pulled his bag forward and rummaged in it until he pulled Jisung’s scarf out. </p><p>“You might want this back”, the redhead stated and gave Jisung his scarf. “Why did you even take it?”, the blue-haired male wondered and put the light blue scarf around his neck, burying his nose in the fabric. “You will see”, Seungmin breathed out and looked straight ahead. The warlock became a little anxious because of that. What was the redhead planing? </p><p>“Where are we even going?”, he asked after a slightly longer silence. “To our place”, Byungho answered this time and looked at Seungmin with a look Jisung deemed to be neutral. The warlock was a little bit surprised though since he didn’t recall to ever have been at the Kim’s house but well Seungmin has never been at his place either for obvious reasons. Sometimes Jisung really asked himself how Seungmin and he became such good friends while obliviously hiding things from the other. Maybe it was because they didn’t make the other talk about it. </p><p>A silence fell over the three again. The walk from the Lee’s house to the Kim’s house was quite long, making it hard for Jisung to not overthink his whole friendship with Seungmin, so he tried to focus on his surroundings.</p><p>It was a nice day, the cold winter sun was shining, letting the snow that had fallen over the week shimmer a little bit in the weak rays of sunshine. The birds, that haven’t left for the south, were chirping and singing their songs and occasionally they walked past some other creatures, who were taking out their pet or just taking a walk with their family. </p><p>Jisung noted how the houses got less and bigger the more they walked until he realized that they had left the normal living area of Yellow Wood with the one family houses and entered the part where the luxurious mansions were located. It was super far away from where he lived since it was the other end of Yellow Wood. </p><p>In the end the three stood in front of the iron gate of a gigantic mansion. Seungmin rang the bell beside the gate without a word. Jisung had a hard time getting into his head that Seungmin was freaking rich. Neither Byungho nor Seungmin ever made the expression that their parents were that wealthy. </p><p>“Our family is complicated so just stay quiet until we are in my room then I will explain everything”, Seungmin mumbled to Jisung, ripping the warlock out of his shocked state. He needed a minute to understand what the redhead had said and then just nodded, not knowing what to say to this. Did Seungmin and Byungho have problems within their family? Or a Patchwork family that didn’t work out? That would explain the sudden appearance of Samuel. </p><p>The gate was opened shortly after Seungmin had rung the bell and the three entered the front yard. They went up the path with the black stones to the big wooden door, which was opened by a woman with long black hair. “Welcome”, she greeted and smiled kindly. She let the three inside and all three thanked her politely. </p><p>Jisung just mirrored Seungmin’s behavior if he was honest with himself but when he looked at the hall he just entered he was stunned by the fairy tale like architecture of the place. The ceiling was high and the light fell through the window that were located at the end of the beautiful stairs, which lead to the next floor. </p><p>“Mum, who is it?”, you could hear some call out, letting Jisung snap out of his trance. “Byungho and Seungmin as well as a friend of them”, the woman answered. Shortly after that Samuel came in sight, running to them from another room of the house. </p><p>“Jisung-hyung. I didn’t know you would visit”, the young siren said as he walked up to the three male in a slower pace. He wore a smile on his face like usual. “It was a little bit spontaneous”, Seungmin answered quickly on Jisung’s behalf and took the warlock’s hand to drag him up the stairs. Byungho excused all of them and followed the two younger males while Samuel and his mother looked after them in confusion.</p><p>Seungmin apparently was in a hurry, so Jisung let himself be dragged by the younger without complaining. He didn’t know how to navigate in his gigantic mansion anyway. There were too many doors to count. </p><p>Suddenly Seungmin stopped in his tracks, which made Jisung bump into him. “Seungmin, what’s wrong?”, the blue-haired warlock asked, wondering why his friend suddenly stopped. Jisung looked over his shoulder, searching for something that could have triggered this behavior of his friend.</p><p>“Byungho-hyung, take Jisung to my room and stay there”, Seungmin ordered and let go of Jisung’s hand instantly. “But Seungmin you-“, Jisung tried to say but the redhead just ran away. The young warlock wanted to run after him but was held back by Byungho. </p><p>“Let’s just go to Seungmin’s room and wait for him”, Byungho reasoned with a look of sympathy in his eyes. Jisung just let his shoulders slump in defeat. Why was Seungmin so unpredictable? They wanted to talk, didn’t they? What reasons did the redhead have to suddenly run away?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Broken Bonds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin figuring out what happened to Wonpil after his talk with their mother and Byungho explaining the Kim family structure to Jisung.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin ran down the corridors of the mansion as fast as he could. He had heard Wonpil’s voice call for him. It probably had been his demon voice but it didn’t matter to the redhead. His brother’s voice had sounded faint and broken, so something must have happened to the older. You couldn’t hide your true feelings when you used the demon voice after all, which made Seungmin imagine every little bad thing that could have happened to his older brother. A lot of those scenarios included the two brothers’ demonic mother.</p><p>The redhead made a sharp turn to the right into another corridor. Wonpil’s room wasn’t far now. Third door on the right side. Seungmin slowed down until he stopped in front Wonpil’s room door. For some reason he didn’t know himself, he knocked on the wooden door while trying to calm down his breathing and racing thoughts. A silence followed that felt like an eternity to Seungmin. He tried to listen closely to maybe hear something like a shuffling sound or footsteps but there was nothing beside a suffocating silence, which was occasionally broken by Seungmin trying to shallow the lump in his throat. </p><p>“Who is it?”, he heard his brother’s voice ask from inside the room. It sounded unnaturally cold and closed off. “Seungmin”, the redhead answered and didn’t wait any further. He opened the door of the room and closed it behind him after he had entered. The redhead kicked off his boots and walked out of the little hallway into the main part of the room. </p><p>Now Seungmin could finally see his older brother, who sat on his bed with his gaze fixed on his lap. Normally he would greet Seungmin with a hug or a smile but this time he didn’t even move a muscle when his younger brother entered the room. </p><p>Seungmin just stood there and looked at his brother. He had many suspicions on what had happened to the older but he still was unsure which one was right. Suddenly Seungmin noticed how the spell that hid Wonpil’s demon horns and tail started to fade. This only happened when demons made deals, did it on purpose to show someone or when they couldn’t hold the spell upright because they were injured or emotionally unstable. Seungmin figured it was the last thing so he rushed forward and hugged his brother, who immediately held onto the younger. </p><p>“What happened? Why did you call for me?”, the younger demon asked worriedly after a while of just holding his older brother. Seungmin needed to know what had happened so he could do something against it. Wonpil gently released himself from the younger. Seungmin sat down beside his brother and could finally look at his face. The first thing he noticed was the red bruise on the older’s left cheek. </p><p>“Mother had a little talk with me after I came back from university. It was about the things father told her”, Wonpil answered and bit his lip while trying to stay calm. The older’s eyes never left the ground before him. Seungmin was already angry at his mother but he also felt helpless and kind of guilty. Why couldn’t he protect all people dear to him? Why wasn’t he there for his brother when he needed him?</p><p>“It didn’t go well, did it?” Seungmin guessed. “It was terrible”, Wonpil hiccuped and brought up his hands to cover his face. The younger of the two just hugged the older again. Wonpil tried hard to not cry with trembling shoulders. </p><p>“She was not happy with anything of what father told her so the first thing she did was slap me and scream into my face that I am a disgrace to this family because I’m in a group of non magic users. She made it very clear that she ... that she expected more from her first born son”, the older continued with a unsteady voice. Seungmin gritted his teeth when he heard that and tightened his hold on his older brother, who fought against the tears that were slowly building themselves up in his eyes. </p><p>Wonpil had been in a group called Day6 since he was eighteen years old. The group was founded by Sungjin, Wonpil’s werewolf friend, in their time at Miroh High. The other members of the group were Jae, Dowoon and Younghyun. </p><p>Being in a group like Day6 meant that you had people that would back you up and protect you whenever you needed it. Every group member had the group’s symbol somewhere on their body. When the group had a bond that was strong enough the other members would feel if one of their own was in trouble.</p><p>Wonpil had hidden the fact that he was in a group from his mother for the reason that revealed itself today. Lilith had a hatred towards creatures that were unable to use magic because she thought they were even weaker than an average warlock and therefore forbid her sons to ever spend time with nonmagical creatures. Seungmin got lucky with having Jisung, a warlock, as a friend but Wonpil always had to be careful when he met his friends, knowing that he would be in trouble if his mother ever found out about them. </p><p>Seungmin had always hoped that his mother would never find out that all of Wonpil’s close friends were non magical creatures but it was bound to happen. Lilith wasn’t that stupid after all, despite her disinterest in her sons lives. But that didn’t change the fact that Seungmin was furious. He tried to not show it for the sake of calming his brother down and mostly succeeded doing so.</p><p>“You know she calmed down a little after that. I thought the worst part was over but then, but then, she told me that I can’t be part of the group anymore because not only is Day6 a group with no magic users except me but according to her also consists of three incompetent vampires and a weak werewolf”, Wonpil quietly started to cry. He took his hands away from his face while sniffling and rolled up the right sleeve of his grey shirt. </p><p>The older redhead showed the younger his Day6 symbol, which was on his wrist and now had two scars over it. Seungmin stared at the crossed out symbol and only looked up to Wonpil’s face again when some of the older’s tears dropped down onto the carefully drawn circles, which had the number 6 in the middle. </p><p>“I am no longer a member of Day6. She canceled my symbol. I’m, I’m not allowed to see anyone of my friends ever again”, the older cried with tears streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably. “She even took away my phone so I can’t communicate with them directly and casted the tower curse over me, so I can’t sneak out of the mansion even if I tried. I am not even allowed to go to university anymore because I could meet them there”, Wonpil sobbed but in the end just yelled in desperation. </p><p>If someone else would have been there with the two demon brothers, Seungmin would have let that person take care of Wonpil, so he could waltz over to Lilith’s office and scream right into her face. The young demon was beyond angry at his mother and would love to punch her in the face. This woman cursed her own son, so he would stay put. Who wouldn’t want to punch someone like that? But that was easier said than done. Lilith wasn’t the queen of hell for nothing.</p><p>Seungmin held his brother close for he didn’t know how long while he thought about many ways how he could make his mother pay for this. It slowly became dark outside, so Seungmin figured he should better tell Byungho and Jisung that he wasn’t coming to his room anytime soon with the help of his demon voice. The young demon felt sorry for his best friend because he more or less promised him an explanation for a lot of things but right now taking care of his older brother was his number one priority. </p><p>Wonpil stoped crying at some point and was close to simply passing out because of exhaustion. Seungmin carefully detached himself from his brother to stand up to get a damp towel from the older’s bathroom so he could clean the other demon’s face. When he came back into the main room and saw Wonpil sitting on his bed with his empty eyes fixed on the ground again, his demon horns and tail still visible Seungmin got the feeling that his heart slowly shattered in his chest. His older brother, who normally would joke around, smile wide and be his weird but adorable self just looked absolutely exhausted and broken. </p><p>The younger demon went up to Wonpil, gently made him raise his head a little by lifting his chin and began to carefully whip off the tear stains from his cheeks. Seungmin was especially careful when he whipped away the tear stains from Wonpil’s left cheek so he wouldn’t hurt the older. The younger demon didn’t look directly into Wonpil’s eyes because he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to stay calm when he saw how utterly broken and lifeless they were at the moment. </p><p>Seungmin swore to himself that his mother would pay for this one way or another. It didn’t matter if he was scared of her or not. If she was the queen of hell or not. She would pay for this and if it took Seungmin years to make a plan for it. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>Byungho and Jisung waited a long time in Seungmin’s room without having much of a conversation. The silence was suffocating for Jisung. Not only were the warlock’s thought running miles but also Byungho’s expression made him want to just scream his lungs out. The brown-haired male looked deep in thought as well as a little irritated and worried. It was just an expression that made Jisung’s stomach twist. </p><p>“Okay I can’t stand this anymore”, Jisung groaned and got up from his place on the armchair, which was located between the big window of the room and a bookshelf. Byungho was ripped out of his thoughts by the other’s sudden movement and looked at Jisung with a questioning look. </p><p>“What’s going on?” Jisung asked and he sounded a little desperate. “I don’t understand anything that is going on right now. Seungmin told me he wanted to talk about something and explain things to me I apparently have the right to know about but he just ran off without explaining anything. And what’s up with your family that Seungmin and you act so strange? And why the hell did you two never even mention that you live in a damn mansion?!” the warlock ranted while walking up and down in the room like a tiger in a cage. </p><p>Byungho seemed absolutely calm and just followed Jisung with his eyes, waiting for the warlock to get a hold of himself again. The blue-haired male stopped his nervous up-and-down-walking, ruffled through his dark blue hair in frustration and looked at older male who calmly sat on Seungmin’s bed. </p><p>“Please, just say something”, Jisung whined. He needed someone to talk to him before he was going nuts here. Byungho exhaled and patted the spot on beside him. Jisung walked over to the older male and sat down beside him, hoping to get some answers form the brunette. </p><p>“I don’t know what Seungmin wants to tell you exactly but I can explain why Seungmin and I acted so strange before we entered the mansion”, Byungho said with a rather serious tone. Jisung nodded so the older would continue. The brown-haired male exhaled again. </p><p>“You could call our family, a patchwork family but way more complicated. You maybe already know that Seungmin and I are half brothers. Samuel is also our half brother but I think that’s obvious he looks more like his mother than us. My father was five sons as far as I’m concerned. Except Wonpil and Seungmin we all have the same father but a different mother”, Byungho began to explain. Jisung needed to wrap his head around that for a second. He knew about Wonpil, Seungmin’s older brother since the redhead had mentioned him a lot over the years of them being friends and he knew about Samuel ever since the younger was at Miroh High and of course he knew Byungho but that there was another Kim brother was new to him but the more mind blowing thing was that Mr. Kim had children with four different women. </p><p>“Wow, so your father had children with four different women?”, Jisung asked and looked like he didn’t really believe it. Byungho nodded. “That’s harsh”, the warlock commented. He couldn’t imagine how awkward that must be for Seungmin and Byungho. “I didn’t say the best thing yet”, the older responded sarcastically. </p><p>“Seungmin probably told you plenty of stories involving his older brother Wonpil”, he questioned and Jisung nodded in confirmation. “Wonpil and Seungmin’s mother was our father’s first wife but he divorced her when Seungmin was four. I don’t know why exactly I just know that he had already cheated on Seungmin’s and Wonpil’s mother more than one time at that point. Shortly after father divorced Seungmin’s mother he married mine. I was six at that time. My mother moved in with her now husband and that was how I began living here but my father is an ass that’s why Seungmin’s and Wonpil’s mother still lives here”, Byungho continued. </p><p>Jisung grimaced. This sounded even worse what he imagined. “By all gods how did nobody get killed yet?”, he asked. Byungho shrugged his shoulders. “I have no clue. Father made it work but I am still not finished”, the older added. The warlock looked at the older like he grew a second head, which seemed to amuse Byungho a little bit since he let out a little chuckle. Still Jisung asked himself what could be worse than what he already heard. </p><p>“I was getting along with Wonpil and Seungmin even though it was kind of awkward between us at first. We eventually warmed up to each other and behaved like brothers even when Seungmin and Wonpil’s mother tried her best to keep her two sons away from me because naturally she really disliked my mother and me”, Byungho told Jisung and the younger nodded in understanding. </p><p>“When I was eleven our father came home from a business trip with another woman and a boy just a year younger than me. Father introduced the two to us as his new girlfriend Athea and their son Minseok. On a side note we call Minseok Woosu because he doesn’t like his birth name very much”, Byungho continued and Jisung gasped. “I am sorry but what his your father for a player and ass?”, the warlock scoffed, grimacing. Byungho lightly chuckled again.</p><p>“How did your mother react to that? I mean she ... she is your father’s wife”, Jisung questioned carefully, hoping to not be too curious. Byungho just sadly smiled. “My mother is a very kind woman. Sometimes too kind if I’m honest. She welcomed Athea and Woosu warmly even though Athea was never a person you easily got along with. Often I think that my father really doesn’t deserve a wife like that in any way”, the older answered, his eyes darkening a little at the last sentence. </p><p>“Totally. If I were your mother I would have ditched him the second I knew he had other women beside me”, Jisung agreed while nodding funnily to cheer Byungho up a little. It worked since the older chuckled and smiled after hearing that, which made Jisung feel better too. Byungho and Seungmin’s family life sounded chaotic and kind of stressful but he was glad they had each other to lean on. </p><p>Despite that the warlock also felt kind of honored that Byungho told him his family’s story and felt glad that he could distract himself a little bit while also making sure Byungho didn’t feel too gloomy while talking. </p><p>“Athea wasn’t very happy with the idea of living together with two other women of my father and their children so she kept Woosu always near her. Wonpil, Seungmin tried to play with him a couple of times but his mother would always take Woosu somewhere else. When I was sixteen Woosu rebelled against his mother and spend a lot of time with me. At some point his mother accepted this because she liked my mother and me more or less. She just despises Seungmin’s and Wonpil’s mother so she still tries to keep Woosu away from them but that doesn’t always work.”, the older continued to explain. </p><p>Jisung just let sink that all in for a short second, remembering that until now Byungho had barely talked about Samuel. “And when did Samuel and his mother join the family?”, the younger questioned while remembering the black-haired woman, who had opened the door for them. Was she Samuel’s mother? They did look kind of similar after all.</p><p>“One week after this school year started. Father introduced them after coming home from a business trip”, Byungho answered. The warlock blinked in surprise. Sure Samuel appeared very suddenly but he had joined the family only a few weeks ago? He seemed to be used to being around Byungho and Seungmin like he had known them all his life. </p><p>“I thought Samuel’s sudden appearance was suspicious but he seemed to feel so comfortable being around you and Seungmin at school I really believed you were brothers, who have been living together their whole lives after a while”, Jisung admitted and rubbed the back of his neck. Byungho laughed lightly after hearing that. </p><p>“Yeah, I think Seungmin is the one to thank for that. He sat Wonpil, Woosu, Samuel, himself and me in one room and well made us all feel like ordinary brothers. Samuel is also a pretty sweet and open but very innocent kid, so it felt kind of natural to look after him”, Byungho explained with a smile on his lips. Jisung could only agree even though he didn’t know Samuel that well. The young siren just had something that made you want to look out for him. </p><p>“Sounds nice”, Jisung commented while nodding a little. Byungho wanted to agree but then he stopped and in the next moment Jisung heard Seungmin’s voice in his head just like at the sleepover when Seungmin said they would talk. What kind of spell even was that? </p><p>“I am sorry, I won’t come to you two any time soon”, Seungmin said sounding rather gloomy and exhausted but their was a spark of anger in his voice, that Jisung almost missed. The warlock was worried about the redhead and a glance to Byungho told him that the brunette was just as concerned. Something really bad must have happened to get Seungmin to sound like this. </p><p>Byungho got up from the bed. “Are we going to search for him?”, Jisung asked and immediately was on his feet. “Yeah and I know the first place where we will look for him”, Byungho responded and went to the door with Jisung following behind him.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Hidden truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin tells Jisung what he really is.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Byungho lead Jisung through the many corridors of the mansion towards Wonpil’s room. The brown-haired male suspected Seungmin to be there. To be more specific Byungho guessed that Seungmin ran off so fast because something bad had happened to their oldest brother. But in all honesty Byungho hoped that this wasn’t the case because it would mean that Wonpil was hurt, mentally or physically. Maybe even both. </p><p>Byungho and Jisung arrived at Wonpil’s room in record time. Byungho knocked on the dark wood of the door and hoped that he worried for nothing about his two brothers even though he knew that the demon voice only showed the user’s true emotions, which was very ironic considering a demon’s nature. </p><p>They waited for a short while before Byungho knocked again. “Wonpil-hyung?”, Byungho called the older loud enough so you could hear it inside of the room. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>Seungmin turned his head towards the door because he heard someone knocking at it. The young demon still stood in front of Wonpil with a damp towel in his hand, which he previously used to clean his brother’s face. </p><p>The young demon looked down to his older brother again. He had his eyes closed but slowly opened them when he noticed that Seungmin stopped his previous action. The younger looked back to the door again so his eyes wouldn’t meet Wonpil’s sad ones. “Someone is at the door”, the younger whispered already suspecting who it was. </p><p>There was a second knock followed by a familiar voice. “Wonpil-hyung?”, the two demon brothers heard Byungho call the older demon’s name. “Just let him in”, Wonpil mumbled, clearly exhausted. For a short moment Seungmin looked into his brother’s dark eyes, noticing them getting a bit tiredly unfocused. Seungmin wouldn’t blame the older demon if he just wanted to curl up in his bed and slept for a solid day if he was honest. </p><p>Seungmin nodded, put the damp towel into Wonpil’s hands, casted a small illusion spell over his brother to cover his horns and devil’s tail and went to the door. He knew that Byungho probably brought Jisung along with him, so he wanted to make sure that you couldn’t immediately tell that Wonpil was a demon. </p><p>The redhead opened the door and was met with Jisung and Byungho as expected. Byungho’s eyes already told Seungmin that he knew something was up with Wonpil while Jisung just looked generally worried. </p><p>“Just come in”, Seungmin mumbled and let the two into the room, so he could close the door again. Byungho walked further into the room without hesitation while Jisung stayed at Seungmin’s side, seemingly unsure of what to do. </p><p>When Byungho saw the sad Wonpil sitting on the bed he didn’t hesitate to walk up to the older and wrapping him up in a warm hug. Wonpil responded with burying his face in Byungho’s chest and weakly holding onto the sides of the brown-haired male’s shirt. </p><p>Seungmin just looked at his two older brothers. He had the feeling that something was slowly tightening around his neck even though he knew that nothing was there. He wanted to protect his brothers, his family so bad but today he failed miserably. </p><p>The redhead jumped a little when Jisung laid his hand on his shoulder. Seungmin looked the blue-haired warlock into his eyes and was reminded of the little promise he had made the other. There were so many things that Seungmin kept a secret from Jisung even though they have known each other of such a long time but the redhead had a reason to do so. </p><p>That reason was the redhead’s insecurity. Seungmin wasn’t sure if Jisung would stay friends with him if he knew everything about him. If he knew that Seungmin was the literal offspring of the devil and his queen as well as a pure blood demon, would he continue to be around the redhead or cut off any contact and be afraid of him? Would he remain calm when he knew Seungmin could use dark magic without having to fear any consequences or would he bail, knowing the redhead could curse him without having to think twice. </p><p>Seungmin mentally chased these thoughts away. There was a way more important thing to tell Jisung. After all Seungmin found out who bit him and had a way of making sure he paid for what he did if Changbin kept his word.  </p><p>“Take care of Wonpil-hyung for me until I come back. I need to tell Jisung some things”, the younger said to Byungho with his demon voice and then took Jisung’s hand to drag the warlock out of the room. He didn’t take another glance at his two older brothers, knowing Byungho could handle comforting someone better than him. </p><p>Jisung let Seungmin drag him to another location, which was a relief for the redhead but on the other hand mildly worried him too because the warlock also said nothing. Maybe it was because he felt bad for Seungmin because of Wonpil or maybe Byungho told him some things. Still, the warlock’s silence made Seungmin feel uneasy and a bit anxious.  </p><p>Seungmin thought about going to his room to talk but in the end decided to go to the little library near Wonpil’s room. There he could return to his older brothers a lot quicker and if he concentrated even hear if someone was heading for Wonpil’s room if they came from the south side of the mansion.</p><p>The redhead opened the door to the little library and gave it a little kick to shut it after dragging Jisung inside. He let go of Jisung and casted a quick locking spell over the door, so nobody could enter even if they had a key. </p><p>“Was locking the door with a spell necessary?”, Jisung asked and looked at Seungmin with a scared glimmer in his eyes. Seungmin had the feeling he was hit on the chest by that look but he ignored it.</p><p>“I just don’t want anyone to walk in here unannounced”, the redhead explained in a calm tone while turning towards Jisung. The warlock seemed like he wanted to ask why Seungmin didn’t stay with his older brother by the way he slightly opened his mouth but in the end he closed it again because he seemingly knew better than to question Seungmin’s logic </p><p>The redhead again took notice of the scared glimmer in Jisung’s eyes. It made him feel on the edge. Why were all the people he was close to either scared or hurt in some way. Was it him? Was this his punishment for being a demon who lived on earth and not in hell? </p><p>Jisung ripped him out of this spiral of negative thoughts by simply saying his name worriedly. The blue-haired male looked concerned at Seungmin, letting the scared glimmer disappear into nothingness. The redhead shook his head and lightly slapped his own cheeks to get his head on the current topic. The older of the two knew this habit of Seungmin so he said nothing about it. </p><p>The redhead took a breath. “I know who the man was who bit you”, Seungmin said straightforward. Jisung’s hand immediately wandered up to the plaster that still covered his bite. The younger noticed this but continued. “I took your scarf because I knew a spell that I hoped would reveal what happened and it did. You had it in your room, draped over your chair while everything happened, didn’t you? With the help of the spell I could see what the scarf more or less witnessed”, Seungmin explained while he made a lot of gestures and internally hoped Jisung would understand the reasons behind his actions and remain calm. The last thing Seungmin could do right now was taking care of a crying Jisung if he was honest.   </p><p>Jisung just stood there with his eyes fixed on the ground. In his sky blue orbs many emotions swirled around and the way he clenched his fists while trying to stay composed showed that he was overwhelmed. Seungmin wanted to call his name in hopes of getting him out of his little trance but before he could do so Jisung’s head snapped up, his eyes looking straight to the redhead. One step was enough for him to be close enough to Seungmin to grab the redhead’s shoulders, shaking him. </p><p>“Are you insane, Kim Seungmin?”, he shrieked with panic in his voice while still shaking him. “You used the “tree’s eyes” spell to see what the scarf witnessed! That’s dark magic! What did you give up for that?!”, the blue-haired warlock continued to shake the younger until Seungmin got out of his grip and took a step back.  </p><p>Dark magic was something very dangerous even for magical creatures like warlocks, wizards, kitsunes and witches because it always needed a tribute to be successful. This tribute can be a lot of things. For example a special item, something from the victim like a hair or something that is important to the user but very strong dark spells can also cost the life of someone. The “tree’s eyes” spell, which Seungmin had used was a pretty strong dark spell but it didn’t cost a life but something that was very important to the user. </p><p>Seungmin looked at Jisung and prepared himself for the next thing he would say. He prepared himself for a terrified Jisung, who would bolt out of this library and never speak to him again because there was no other way to explain this than to tell the truth. </p><p>“I didn’t give up anything, Jisung”, the redhead stated, fixing his shirt a little bit, so he didn’t need to face the other for the moment. Jisung looked at him like he was mad. “Don’t try to trick me! I know you gave something up. No warlock ever was able to use a spell like that without giving something in return!”, the older of the two shrieked. His eyes slowly became glossy. He felt like crying because he thought Seungmin had sacrificed something very important to help him. </p><p>“I didn’t have to give anything because ... because I am no warlock”, Seungmin answered with a little pause and looked at his friend for a brief moment before focusing on the ground. Jisung stared at Seungmin, which the younger took as cue to continue. </p><p>“I never said I was one, did I?”, the redhead asked and he was right everybody just assumed he was a warlock because of his natural blood red hair since warlocks tend to have very colorful hair or eyes and of course magic powers. He more or less was the same case as Wonpil but the difference was that Seungmin never had the gut to tell anyone that he was a real demon. The only ones that knew were his family and the close friends of Wonpil if they could put together the puzzle like Changbin.</p><p>Jisung just stood there with his mouth slightly opened. He looked like he didn’t understand the world anymore. “Then what are you?”, this question slipped out of the warlock’s mouth without him really realizing. Seungmin took a breath again, bracing himself to be casted aside and feared by the only person he had ever called best friend. </p><p>“A demon”, he answered and let the spell, which hid his horns and devil’s tail fade to prove his point. </p><p>The young demon shut his eyes and waited to hear Jisung run away. He waited but he heard nothing. No scream in horror, no footsteps. The redhead slowly opened his eyes again to see that Jisung didn’t move a single muscle. The warlock just stood there, staring at the younger with tears in eyes. </p><p>Seungmin assumed he was frozen and nearly crying because he was so terrified. “You, you can hate, hate me now and run away because I, I’m a monster by nature and, and never the gut to tell you”, the younger stuttered. He felt how tears were building up in his eyes while his chest seemed to tighten itself to a point were Seungmin thought he couldn’t breath anymore.</p><p>Jisung was still frozen in his spot but when he noticed the teary eyes of Seungmin he didn’t hesitate to make a step forward and hug his best friend. “I could never hate you and I am not going to run away from you, dummy”, Jisung said and began to quietly cry. Seungmin sobbed and returned Jisung’s hug, clinging onto his best friend. </p><p>Yes, Seungmin being a real demon was a shock to Jisung. The few things he knew about demons weren’t positive at all but the blue-haired male knew Seungmin long enough to know that he wasn’t evil in any way. The redhead may be a prankster, hard to read and sometimes strange but he wasn’t a wicked, rotten to the core being, who served the devil and could enter and leave hell as he pleased. No, he was a caring, lovable and funny person with flaws and strengths just like everyone else. </p><p>The two best friends stood in each other’s arms for a while. Both holding each other close to reassure the other that they wouldn’t go anywhere. The both of them really needed this at that moment. </p><p>After they calmed down Seungmin began to rant to Jisung about his terrible mother Lilith also known as the queen of hell and all demons. He basically told his friend the many reasons why he thought she was the worst kind of a mother and how she made the already complicated life in a family like his even more difficult with her, in his opinion, stupid and ancient views on the world.</p><p>Despite talking a lot about his family in his rant about his mother Seungmin never once mentioned his father being the devil even though he said his name a few time and he kept Byungho’s part of the family out of the story too because he knew that Byungho wanted to keep him being the child of an angel and the devil a secret. </p><p>After finishing his rant about his terrible mother he also finally explained he could use dark magic without having to sacrifice anything because he was a demon, a creature of the darkest part of hell. Jisung listened carefully and never fully let go of Seungmin to show his support. </p><p>When Seungmin came back to the part with Jisung’s bite, it was Jisung’s turn to need support and Seungmin gladly gave him that. The redhead explained how he found out that the vampire who bit Jisung was a noble one named Valentin King without mentioning Changbin’s name, the vampire prince’s title or the book of vampires. This made the story fairly short but he told Jisung that this friend who helped him (that was how he referred to Changbin most of the time) could bring this Valentin behind bars for good. </p><p>“Are you okay with that?”, Seungmin asked after he told the younger everything necessary. The two friends were now seated at a black sofa because at some point they weren’t able to keep themselves upright. Jisung just nodded with a blank expression while looking at the floor. He was back to being overwhelmed again. He finally understood the redhead’s ways to protect and care for someone but it was still much to take in. Seungmin gently squeezed his hand to signal that he wouldn’t leave the other alone with this. </p><p>A silence fell over them. “I am sorry. This all was a bit much”, the redhead mumbled and rubbed his thumb over the knuckles of the warlock. Jisung turned his head and looked at Seungmin. He shook his head. “Thank you for everything you did and still do, Seungmin”, the older thanked the younger. Seungmin faintly smiled at that.</p><p>“Let’s go back to your brother and just sleep”, Jisung suggested with an tired sigh. Seungmin nodded in agreement and pulled the young warlock up with him. He let his horns and devil’s tail disappear again, letting Jisung look mildly fascinated by the spell he used.</p><p>The two walked back to Wonpil’s room while still holding hands. When they entered the now dark room they saw that Wonpil and Byungho both had laid down in the older redhead’s bed facing each other. Byungho raised his head when he heard the two enter but Wonpil seemed to be asleep.</p><p>Byungho patted the spot next to him that wasn’t occupied by Wonpil. Seungmin let go of Jisung’s hand and gestured to the other to lay down beside Byungho while he would lay down beside Wonpil. This was the point were Seungmin internally thanked his father for the ridiculously large beds he had chosen for the mansion years ago. </p><p>Jisung waddled over to the side of the bed where he was the closest to Byungho and slipped under the covers laying down beside the brunette. The older carefully turned around and signaled that he wanted to cuddle by opening his arms a little bit. Jisung didn’t hesitate to bury his face in the older’s chest and wrap his arms around him. Despite the darkness Seungmin could practically see Byungho’s light but smile as he hugged the blue-haired warlock, who was out like a light, close. </p><p>Seungmin was glad Jisung and Byungho got along so well and decided to slip under the covers himself. He made himself comfortable beside Wonpil and gently put his arms around his older brother, who laid with his back facing towards him. The younger demon buried his face between Wonpil’s shoulders. He didn’t think that his brother would wake up from that but he did. Seungmin felt him slightly moving and backed away a bit without really letting go of the older. </p><p>Wonpil turned around and looked at the younger with tired, dull eyes. Seungmin wordlessly snuggled closer again. The top of the younger’s head was now under Wonpil’s chin. The older demon put his arms around his little brother and was just glad that he was there. Sometimes he didn’t know what he would do without him.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Mrs. Hwang</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The past of the Hwang and Yang family.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hwang Hyunjin, wake up this instant!” yelled Mrs. Hwang angrily through the whole flat to get her son to wake up. Hyunjin was ripped out of dreamland by the voice of his mother. The young siren immediately knew that he nearly overslept again and didn’t lose any time to get ready. </p><p>He threw the cover off himself, raced to his closet pulling out the first set of pants he could see along with a white shirt. As quick as a lighting did the siren hurry into the bathroom, quickly getting dressed and brushing his teeth. He fixed his hair in a hurry and quickly checked himself one last time before he left the bathroom.</p><p>Not even fifteen minutes after Mrs. Hwang’s yell was Hyunjin completely ready. It was unfair how the siren just threw on a simple white shirt and a normal pair of jeans but still managed to look like a model but you could call this the perks of being a siren. The male jogged into the kitchen where he guessed that his mother was currently, hoping that she wasn’t too mad that he had overslept. </p><p>“I’m ready”, he stated. Mrs. Hwang stood in the middle of the kitchen with her arms crossed over her chest and a stern expression on her face. Jeongin was nowhere to be seen, which was a surprise to Hyunjin. Normally the younger would wake him before his mother got angry and ... wait ... IT WAS SUNDAY NOT MONDAY. </p><p>Now the young siren was puzzled why his mother was angry at least until he saw the sheet of paper she held in her right hand. He realized he had a bigger problem than waking up late for school. This sheet of paper was the math test he had failed and wanted to hide from his mother.</p><p>“Care to explain why I found this maths test sticking out of your school bag?”, Mrs. Hwang asked sternly and waved the sheet around. At this moment Hyunjin wished he was a magic user, so he could shrink himself or make himself disappear in the floor. “I allowed you to go to your friend’s house because I thought you didn’t have any problems in school”, she scolded. </p><p>“I-I just did bad at this one math test, I swear”, Hyunjin slightly stammered, hoping his mother would believe him and let him off the hook. His mother still didn’t look pleased but she never really did when she was wearing her work clothes, which consisted of a formal black jacket, a white button up, a tight-fitting black skirt and black high heels. She wore her long black hair put up in a bun and that made the stern expression on her pretty face stand out even stronger. </p><p> “You have to study harder”, she said sternly. “I will. I already got a tutor for maths”, Hyunjin responded while nodding eagerly. “And who is that?”, Mrs. Hwang asked calmly, crossing her arms over her chest with an raised eyebrow. </p><p>“An upperclassman. His name is Bang Chan and he is really good trust me”, the young male answered, praying to all gods above heaven that his mother wouldn’t continue to be this irritated. His mother seemed to think about what her son had said for a short minute then she just sighed, letting the irritated expression drop from her face and put Hyunjin’s math test, which she still held in her hand on the kitchen table. </p><p>“Don’t you dare to hide something like that from me ever again. Do we understand each other, Hyunjin?”, she questioned her voice and expression stern once again but Hyunjin saw a little bit of a softness behind it. </p><p>Mrs. Hwang wasn’t a bad mother or person she was simply strict because she wanted her son to be better than his useless, cowardly father, who ditched his wife when she told him that she was pregnant with his child. But that wasn’t the only reason. Mrs. Hwang also wanted her son to be smarter than she was in her youth. </p><p>You see, Mrs. Hwang was an extraordinary creature because she was a mixed blooded creature, which meant that she is half and half of two different types of supernatural creatures. In her case it was half siren, half kitsune. </p><p>Normally the blood of supernatural creatures was unable to mix. So if a siren and a kitsune had a child, it would normally be either a full blood siren or a full blood kitsune but in the case of Mrs. Hwang and her twin brother, who also was Jeongin’s father the blood was combined creating two very rare mixed blooded creatures. </p><p>Both Hwang twins looked gorgeous, had amazing intoxicating voices, could use magic, were able to trick anyone, could breath underwater and so on. They had everything from both sides, which made them very special and that didn’t get unnoticed. They got a lot of attention but were met with tons of problems and two-faced people at a very young age. </p><p>While Mrs. Hwang made a lot of mistakes and false decisions like starting to smoke, drinking too much alcohol and ditching school very often, her twin brother handled everything quite well. He found real friends while his sister had a lot of fake friends, who only took advantage of her abilities as a mixed blood. </p><p>Jeongin’s father graduated from school with perfect grades, studied medicine, became a very good doctor and married a beautiful and kind female kitsune, whom he wanted to start a family with while Mrs. Hwang, dropped out of high school, changed from one low paid job to another one and married a cowardly, idiotic male siren. </p><p>It took Mrs. Hwang a long time to get back on the right track. Two moments were very important for her in that matter. The first was when she found out that she was pregnant with Hyunjin, resulting in her husband leaving her, which was a though time for her. Still she decided that she needed to be better for her child and she became better. While she was pregnant she stopped smoking and drinking completely but two years after Hyunjin’s birth she had a little relapse because of her parents death and a lot of the people she thought were her friends leaving her. </p><p>Maybe it would have become worse but when Hyunjin was three years old the police knocked on the door of her little flat and brought her a male baby. It was Jeongin, her nephew. The policemen told Mrs. Hwang that her twin brother and his wife had died in a car accident and that she was the only family Jeongin had left and therefore his legal guardian. </p><p>After that point Mrs. Hwang turned into a completely different woman. She started to work very hard at the restaurant she worked at as a waitress and got promoted because now she used her charms as a mixed blood effectively. It lured a lot of costumers into the restaurant because they wanted to see the beautiful kitsune-siren mix, who gladly showed off her skills while serving.</p><p>That way Mrs. Hwang managed to get some promotions. She also handled it well to be a mother for Hyunjin and Jeongin even though she didn’t have much time at hand. And while doing all that she managed to finish school and study management at a decent university. </p><p>In the end she got a position in the management apartment of the restaurant and after a lot of work the business expanded to four other cities. One of them was Yellow Wood and Mrs. Hwang became the manager of the restaurant there, so her little family had to move. </p><p>Jeongin and Hyunjin were glad that they moved to Yellow Wood because they hated their old school because everybody treated them not so well. Everyone avoided Jeongin because he was a kitsune while Hyunjin was considered to be a playboy by the other male students and all the girls swarmed him like he was a celebrity just because he was a siren. Hyunjin didn’t like either of it. </p><p>Mrs. Hwang knew this and that was why she instantly accepted the offer from her boss to take over the restaurant in Yellow Wood while also being his right hand woman. Now the little family of three lived a happier life. </p><p>“Mum, are you alright?”, Hyunjin asked his mother concerned when she just spaced out a little. Mrs. Hwang closed her eyes and brought her mind back to the present. “Yes, I am.”, she answered and turned around to grab her coffee. Hyunjin followed his mother’s movements worriedly. He feared that something was wrong and she just hid it. </p><p>“Please don’t overwork yourself again”, the young male said while having some flashbacks from the last time his mother overworked herself. That weren’t very pretty times. He had been constantly worried about his mother’s wellbeing but didn’t know what to do to help her. </p><p>Her son’s concern made the female mix blood smile lightly. “I won’t”, she said with a bit softer voice than before. She faced her son again. “Don’t worry about me. You should worry about your math grade instead so get your school stuff and do something productive”, Mrs. Hwang said, gave Hyunjin his school bag and shooed him off. </p><p>Hyunjin walked back to his room with his backpack in his hand but before he reached his room door, Jeongin’s was opened. “Morning, hyung”, the younger greeted while rubbing his eyes tiredly. Hyunjin nearly cooed at the sight. Jeongin was just adorable when he was still sleepy. </p><p>“Morning, Jeongin. Did you sleep well”, the siren asked while smiling lightly at his cousin. Jeongin just nodded. “Mum is in the kitchen but will probably leave soon, judging by the way she is already dressed”, Hyunjin added. The blond kitsune mumbled a “Thanks” and waddled down the corridor to the kitchen to Mrs. Hwang, probably to wish her a good day or get breakfast. </p><p>Hyunjin went into his bedroom, closed the door behind him, walked to his desk and set his backpack down before seating himself on the comfy dark blue chair in front of the desk. The siren leaned back and looked at the ceiling in thought. He needed to get his school work done but something was bugging him. He didn’t know himself what or why but he felt like he should be somewhere else. </p><p>The siren just shook his head, sat up straight and started to get his school stuff out of his bag. He needed to focus and work hard. He made himself a sticky note to text Chan later so he could ask the older when he was free to help him with Math and then the black-haired male started working on his Literature homework.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Ups and Downs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wonpil gets visited by his friends and Jisung spends a day with the Kim family before heading back to his uncle.</p>
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    <p>The sunlight was shining through the dark blue curtains of Wonpil’s room and slowly waking a certain blue-haired warlock but when Jisung was half-awake the sunlight wasn’t the only thing that slowly coaxed him out of his precious dreamland. He heard voices but when he opened his eyes they just disappeared. </p><p>Jisung was slightly confused because of that but then he saw a short scene before his inner eye. In said scene four males entered Wonpil’s room through the window. Two with black hair, one with brown hair and one with blond hair and round glasses. They probably were all between twenty and twenty-three and they didn’t look like they broke in or had ill intentions and that was the end of the scene. The warlock figured that this scene was a part from the vision he had three days ago that cleared up now but why in this exact moment? Jisung made a mental note to finally talk with his potions and spells teacher, Mr. Lee about his visions. He had attempted it several times in the past but always chickened out but now his vision just got weirder and weirder with each time the happened.</p><p>The blue-haired male shook his head when he felt himself spacing off, which resulted in someone moving behind him. It was Byungho who woke up from Jisung’s sudden movement. The young warlock almost forgot that the older was there even though that was stupid if you consider that Jisung’s back touched Byungho’s chest and that the older brown-haired male had an arm draped over the younger. </p><p>“You could have stayed still a little longer”, the older mumbled sleepily. “I am sorry for waking you up hyung”, Jisung apologized in a hushed voice because he was pretty sure that the other two Kim brothers were still asleep. The young warlock turned around so he was facing the older male. </p><p>“You don’t need to apologize for that”, Byungho huffed and poked the younger’s forehead. Jisung smiled at that. Byungho was a great hyung in the warlock’s opinion. Sometimes he felt like an older brother even to him.  </p><p>Before the two could do or say anything else they noticed that Seungmin carefully wiggled out of Wonpil’s embrace. The redhead got out of the bed in the same careful manner and walked to the window quietly but as fast as possible. It worried Byungho and Jisung to a certain degree.</p><p>“Seungmin what’s wrong?”, Byungho whisper yelled so the younger redhead would hear him while sitting up carefully so Wonpil would continue to sleep. “Someone entered through the special force field I created for fun. Meaning someone outplayed all the other magical shields around the house”, Seungmin explained in a low voice while looking out of the window to try to spot whoever wants to enter the house. </p><p>————————</p><p>“Wait, that means someone outplayed father’s shields”, Byungho stated quietly and got out of bed alongside with Jisung. Both of them joined Seungmin’s side at the window. “And that’s the problem but I guess it must be someone we know because you can’t outsmart these shields without knowing something about them”, the redhead replied in a whisper and scanned the area he could see once more before turning away and walking to the entrance of the room where he dropped his bag yesterday.  </p><p>“I already have a suspicion who it might be but I am not sure because I know that they normally can’t pull something like off”, the redhead explained while rummaging through his bag until he got hold of his phone. </p><p>“Who are they?”, Jisung asked confused while Seungmin unlocked his phone and saw that he got a lot of unread messages and missed calls. All of them were from Dowoon, Jae, Sungjin and Younghyun asking where Wonpil was, why he wasn’t picking up their calls and so on but Seungmin noticed that the most messages and calls were from Dowoon. </p><p>“Wonpil’s friends, who are worried out of their minds apparently”, Seungmin mumbled, turning off his display. Byungho as well as Jisung understood that quite well since Seungmin tended to simply disappear too sometimes. </p><p>Seungmin’s phone lit up telling the redhead that someone called him without a sound because the young demon had his phone on silent mode like usual. The redhead picked up immediately when he noticed that Sungjin was calling but the redhead couldn’t even say hello before the werwolf started talking. </p><p>“Seungmin! You finally picked up! Please do me a favor and somehow open Wonpil’s window before my little lovesick idiot crashes through it without a second thought”, Sungjin said immediately. Seungmin looked to Byungho and Jisung. “Open the window, now”, the redhead whisper yelled. Byungho did exactly this without wasting one thought. </p><p>Wonpil was awake by now because of the ruckus going on around him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes but before anyone could react to that a figure wearing all black entered with a lot of speed but elegance through the window. It was Dowoon. </p><p>“The rest of us will follow Dowoon, so see you in a minute and then I will explain why we are even here”, Sungjin said to Seungmin through the phone before he hung up. </p><p>Dowoon looked kind of surprised like he didn’t expected his little stunt to work but it did and now he stood in the middle of Wonpil’s room. The owner of the room, who still sat on his bed, looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes. </p><p>“Dowoon ...”, the older redhead trailed off. Dowoon just sighed in relief. “You don’t seem hurt. Thank the gods. I thought something terrible happened to you because...”, while Dowoon was talking Wonpil got out of his bed faster than you would expect, ran up to the slightly taller vampire, hugged him close and buried his head in the crock of his neck. Dowoon blinked in confusion but put his arms around Wonpil anyway having a faint smile on his lips but a bit of worry in his eyes. </p><p>In the meantime Jae, Younghyun and Sungjin also entered through the window but with a lot less speed. Jae and Younghyun with a certain grace, which Dowoon also had and Sungjin with the help of Byungho and Seungmin, who pulled him into the room, as well as the magic user, who helped the four members of Day6 through the magic force fields of the mansion. It was almost a bit funny to see the werewolf struggle a little bit but well he wasn’t a light vampire, who could jump high like his three companions. </p><p>“Don’t take too long”, the male with the blue hair, who had helped the four members of Day6 enter the room said. Jae turned around and looked down through the window. “Give us half an hour”, the blond vampire responded. The warlock huffed, seemingly not being very pleased but it was understandable since it must be a lot of work getting through the barriers of the devil. </p><p>“Pretty please, Youngjae?”, Jae asked in a sweet tone and batted his eyelashes. Youngjae sighed and gave up. “Alright but not longer”, Youngjae answered. With that Jae turned around again to face the rest with a bit of a grin on his face.</p><p>Seungmin couldn’t help but think that Wonpil did have a bunch of crazy friends. Well crazy but apparently very loyal. </p><p>———————</p><p>Jisung had been hiding behind Byungho since Dowoon entered the room out of pure reflex. He didn’t know Wonpil very well and therefore didn’t even know the names of his friends, who just entered through the freaking window. Of course Jisung recognized them from the little piece of his vision he saw not long before this happened but that didn’t mean the young warlock was confident enough to just say casually hello. </p><p>Wonpil still hugged Dowoon tightly like he would disappear if he let go while seemingly trying not to break down. Apparently the black-haired vampire didn’t have anything against Wonpil holding him so close but the worried look on his face remained even though he held the older redhead close without saying a word.</p><p>Sungjin was the one who carefully peeled off Wonpil’s right arm from Dowoon so he could roll up the redhead’s sleeve to look at his Day6 symbol. He immediately looked concerned at his red-haired friend when he saw the two scars that crossed out the symbol. </p><p>Younghyun and Jae looked at each other worriedly before they looked back to their leader. “Sungjin what’s wrong?”, Younghyun asked carefully. </p><p>“I think this is our cue to go”, Byungho whispered to Jisung but Seungmin, who stood not far from the two heard that and shook his head indicating them to stay, so they did even though they felt entirely out of place. </p><p>Sungjin turned to Younghyun and Jae. “The symbol is crossed out. That’s why we felt a kind of sting on our wrist yesterday”, the werwolf said. Wonpil just ripped his arm away from Sungjin and buried himself even more into Dowoon, obviously not wanting to talk about it. </p><p>Jae and Younghyun wanted to start asking Wonpil questions but the youngest of their group gave them a pointed look to shut them up. The black-haired vampire focused at the redhead in his arms with a soft and worried gaze. </p><p>“Hyung look at me”, Dowoon hushed in a very gentle voice, which would have many people melt instantly. Wonpil just shook his head as a response. “Come on hyung”, the young vampire continue to coax the demon with a soft voice and put one hand up to his hyung’s head to gently run his fingers through the blood red hair. </p><p>To say the rest was surprised was an understatement. Well, Jisung wasn’t because he didn’t know their relationship but at this point he was pretty sure they were more than friends, probably lovers, maybe boyfriends. He wasn’t entirely sure.</p><p>Wonpil slowly lifted his head away from Dowoon’s neck to finally look at the vampire. The demon was at the verge of tears and you could see in Dowoon’s eyes that this broke him internally but he still smiled at the older warmly. They both said nothing and just looked into each other’s eyes until the redhead hide his face in Dowoon’s shoulder again. The vampire didn’t seem to care about that and looked at Seungmin. The younger demon understood that unspoken message. “I will explain everything to you”, he sighed. </p><p>Jisung felt very out of place when Seungmin explained why Wonpil was in such a bad state and why his group symbol was canceled but he also felt sorry for the two red-haired brothers because their mother seemed to be even worse than what he filtered out from Seungmin’s rant yesterday. Seungmin really didn’t have any good parent in Jisung’s opinion and he wasn’t really wrong. </p><p>Sungjin also added some things after Seungmin’s explanation. Like how the rest of the Day6 members had felt a sting on their wrist where Wonpil had his symbol around the time the older redhead’s must have been crossed out. That was why they were immediately worried when Wonpil didn’t react to any calls or messages and things didn’t get better when Seungmin didn’t react either. </p><p>The werwolf also gave them a short explanation on how they more or less broke into the mansion with the help of Youngjae, a friend of them from university, who belonged to the group Got7, which rung some bells in Jisung’s head, and the knowledge about the magic force field they got from Wonpil. </p><p>After that Youngjae called for them. The half hour was over, they needed to go. Otherwise they would surely get in trouble.</p><p>“Wonpil, we will find a solution. Trust us. We won’t just leave you”, Sungjin promised and laid his hand on Wonpil’s shoulder. The redhead turned his head to reveal his face, so he could look at his brown-haired friend. The demon’s eyes were slightly red from the few tears he shed into Dowoon’s shoulder while Seungmin had explained everything. </p><p>Jae and Younghyun nodded in agreement. They would never leave their friend behind. “Guys, hurry up or we are trapped here”, Youngjae called out to them again. “You should really go”, Seungmin agreed with Youngjae even though the warlock couldn’t hear him . Sungjin nodded, patted Wonpil’s shoulder and went out of the window at first. Younghyun was next. “Stay in contact with us”, Jae said to Seungmin before he followed his two group members. </p><p>Dowoon didn’t want to let go of Wonpil but it was necessary, so the two carefully separated. The vampire looked into the redhead’s eyes, not caring that three other people were still in the room. “I will come back for you”, Dowoon promised Wonpil like in a cliche movie and to top that he even quickly pecked Wonpil’s lips before jumping out of the window in a hurry. </p><p>It was absolutely silent in the room until Seungmin closed the window and cleared his throat. Jisung rubbed his eyes because he was pretty sure he fell asleep and just dreamed the last part because that looked like straight out of a romance movie but he realized he didn’t. Wonpil was kind of stunned but slowly relaxed, letting a small smile form on his lips. Jisung was kind of happy for the other that he had friends, who had his back. Thinking this made himself glance at Seungmin for a brief moment.</p><p>“I think Wonpil needs to explain something”, Byungho stated and crossed his arms with a playful smile on his lips. The older redhead looked at him and shook his head. “I think you do, hyung”, Seungmin agreed with Byungho while he walked up to his older brother and hugged his side with a mischievous grin. Wonpil shook his head again. </p><p>Byungho and Seungmin continued to tease their older brother to lift up his mood and it somehow worked. Still, Jisung stood there and questioned why they were teasing their oldest brother. Weren’t he and Dowoon a thing? Did he entirely misunderstand the relationship of the two?</p><p>“Why are you looking so confused?”, Seungmin spoke up, looking at Jisung. The warlock looked up, facing his best friend. “Ahem. I just don’t get why you tease Wonpil-hyung. Isn’t the black-haired his boyfriend?”, he asked carefully. As a response Wonpil began to turn even more red than he already was and Byungho and Seungmin broke into a laughing fit. </p><p>“Well they aren’t dating but obviously into each other”, Seungmin laughed, which earned him a punch on the shoulder from Wonpil. “We are ... friends ...”, the older said, clearly not being sure himself and then this sweet smile came back when he spaced off a little.</p><p>Seungmin walked over to Jisung and threw an arm around his best friend’s shoulder. “See and already daydreaming about his knight in shining armor”, he whispered looking at his oldest brother. </p><p>After they had enough of teasing Wonpil for being obviously in love with Dowoon the four decided to watch a movie as a distraction. In the first third of it someone knocked on the door. It was a beautiful blond woman with blue eyes, who told them that lunch was ready with a warm smile, which reminded Jisung of Byungho. Seungmin whispered to him that this was Byungho’s mother Eve and for a moment Jisung wanted to question that because the blond woman didn’t look like she was a mother but when Byungho stood up to greet her properly with a hug he didn’t doubt it anymore. The two had the same calm and kind aura as well as some physical resemblances, despite not sharing hair or eye color. </p><p>The lunch with the Kims was surprising nice in Jisung’s opinion. Samuel and his mother Rana ate with them as well as Minseok and his mother Athea. Minseok said to Jisung he should call him Woosu and the blue-haired male did exactly that even though Athea seemed to have something against this. </p><p>Eve and Rana got along very well which surprised Jisung to a certain extent but Byungho told him that his mother was a very friendly and kind woman. She probably didn’t blame Rana for being together with her husband even though that sounded a bit strange. </p><p>Everyone on the table seemed unbothered by their strange family structure except for Athea who occasionally glared daggers at Wonpil and Seungmin but the two demon brothers ignored it like they were used to it. </p><p>It also surprised Jisung that Wonpil had completely changed. He acted like nothing happened. If you didn’t know that the older had a break down yesterday and was at the verge of tears not long ago you would never suspect it in any way and seemingly nobody did. </p><p>While they ate and conversed a little bit Jisung was asked some normal questions by Eve about how long he had known Seungmin and Byungho, how he was doing in school and if he had any hobbies. She more or less behaved like a mother to both Seungmin and Byungho but also to Samuel, Woosu and Wonpil, which was endearing to watch. Eve really was too good for this world. </p><p>After the lunch, which tasted wonderful by the way, Jisung slowly realized that he couldn’t stay here forever. This thought never left him even when Wonpil, Byungho, Seungmin and he along with Samuel and Woosu went back to the oldest Kim brother’s room to continue watching the movie they started. Seungmin noticed that his best friend’s mind was occupied with something but kept his mouth shut.</p><p>“I should start going home now”, Jisung stated after the movie ended and slowly got up from the bed. That was when Seungmin probably realized what had been bugging Jisung throughout the movie. Byungho looked at the young warlock in worry but he said nothing. </p><p>“That’s a pity”, Samuel said while slightly pouting like a small child. “Yeah. You are nice to have around”, Woosu agreed with his youngest brother. “Thanks. You are also pretty cool, Woosu”, the blue-haired warlock responded with a smile, which Woosu mirrored only a bit brighter.</p><p>“We need to get your stuff from my room before you go”, Seungmin said while getting up and gesturing Byungho to do the same. So the older stood up as well. “Start the next movie without us. We will just see Jisung out”, the brown-haired male suggested. Wonpil, Samuel and Minseok nodded and began looking for another movie.</p><p>Byungho, Seungmin and Jisung walked out of the room and went to Seungmin’s. “You know you could just stay here, right? Nobody would have anything against it. The house is big enough after all”, the red-haired demon said. “I need to get back to my uncle at some point”, Jisung mumbled. He didn’t want to go “home” but he couldn’t avoid it for the rest of his life. Byungho eyed Jisung worriedly but remained quiet. </p><p>The three entered Seungmin’s room and Jisung got his coat, shoes and scarf as well as his school bag. Byungho seemed to weighed an idea in his head and decided to just do it when Jisung wanted to put on his coat. </p><p>“Can I take care of your bite before you go?”, Byungho asked out of the blue. Jisung looked at the older confused while Seungmin was a little bit shocked. </p><p>In the end Jisung just sighed a “Sure, hyung”. Byungho positioned himself in front of the younger. “Close your eyes for a short while”, the older said. Jisung was even more confused but he did was Byungho said and closed his eyes. He trusted his hyung. </p><p>Byungho carefully laid his hand on the bite. Jisung flinched but relaxed when he felt the warmth from Byungho’s hand sicker through the plaster. “I will remove the plaster with a spell so I won’t hurt you”, the older said and Jisung lightly nodded. </p><p>The warlock felt how the plaster disappeared and Byungho’s warm hand made contact with Jisung’s cold skin. </p><p>Byungho concentrated his magic on the bite underneath his palm. The hand on Jisung’s neck began to glow slightly without the warlock really noticing.</p><p>When Byungho removed his hand again, the glowing stopped and the bite was healed. It wasn’t gone completely, there were still two little scars but you could barely see them.</p><p>“You can open your eyes again”, Byungho said to the warlock. Jisung opened his eyes and brought a hand up to check on his bite. He felt nothing there. “Did you make it disappear?”, the blue-haired warlock asked in confusion. “No. I healed it”, Byungho answered with a light chuckle. “Meaning you only have two tiny scars now”, Seungmin chimed in. At that Jisung let out a simple “Wow”. </p><p>He didn’t ask the older why he didn’t do this earlier because he figured Byungho probably had reasons for it. Maybe it was even a special kind of spell the older learned from his parents or something. </p><p>“I will walk you home by the way”, Seungmin said and went to his wardrobe to get a coat and boots. Jisung knew better than to argue with the redhead and just agreed.</p><p>The three walked down to the entrance hall without having much of a conversation with each other. </p><p>Byungho told the two to be careful before they went outside. Seungmin just responded with “We always are, hyung” and then dragged Jisung outside. Jisung could shake off the bit of fear he felt in his chest just thinking about retuning to his uncle but he tried to hide it in order to not worry Seungmin. The redhead had done enough for him. </p><p>The two friends walked alongside each other in silence for a while but Seungmin seemingly noticed how anxious Jisung was. “I know sometimes word of reassurance mean nothing but trust me when I say I won’t let your uncle hurt you like that again”, the redhead said and he sounded sincere.</p><p>Jisung looked at Seungmin. He still didn’t really know how much his best friend found out about his family and home life but if you consider that the redhead was a demon and excellent at collecting information then it was logical to assume that Seungmin pretty much knew everything. </p><p>“Thank you, Seungmin”, the blue-haired warlock mumbled. Seungmin just gave the older a reassuring smile.</p><p>The two continued to walk in silence but Jisung grew more and more anxious as well as nervous the closer they got to a small part of Yellow Wood with a few run down house complexes. Seungmin on the other hand was absolutely calm even though this part of Yellow Wood was the opposite to the part he lived in. </p><p>The redhead didn’t even seemed slightly afraid when some suspicious looking people mustered them from some distance. Jisung would have normally started running but Seungmin didn’t even think about that option and that was exactly what he showed. To Jisung’s surprise nobody even tried to talk to them.</p><p>The walk from the Kim mansion to the house complex Jisung lived in was long, so Seungmin and Jisung were a little tired when they walked up the metal stairs to get to the flat of Jisung’s uncle. The blue-haired male felt kind of ashamed and bad that Seungmin now knew how he lived but Seungmin seemingly didn’t care at all and just looked around a bit. </p><p>Before they walked to the flat door, Seungmin pulled Jisung back a little, so the two stood in front of one another. “I still need to do something”, the redhead said and boldly put his right hand on the back of Jisung’s neck. The warlock was confused by that action but did nothing against it since the redhead didn’t do anything else. </p><p>Seungmin gently put his and Jisung’s foreheads together and closed his eyes. The blue-haired male kind of got the memo and closed his eyes as well despite being very confused but he trusted Seungmin enough to be sure that nothing bad would happen to him. Nothing more needed to be said. </p><p>Jisung could feel Seungmin’s magical energy pulsing around him and noticed a tad of darkness in it but he wasn’t scared because he trusted the redhead. Besides he now knew the other was a demon, a creature of darkness. The magic pulsed around Jisung a bit more before slowly concentrating on the spot on his neck Seungmin touched. </p><p>When the redhead was done letting his magic swirl around Jisung he took his hand away from the warlock’s neck and slightly leaned back so his forehead wasn’t touching Jisung’s anymore. </p><p>The blue-haired warlock opened his eyes again when Seungmin disconnected their foreheads, only to see the redhead grin at him as well as Seungmin. “Congratulations. You are now under my protection”, he said, which earned him a strange look from Jisung. </p><p>“That sounds very weird”, the warlock stated and Seungmin hit his shoulder for that. Jisung shrieked and jumped back. “Be a little more grateful it will protect you every time you get scared or anxious”, the redhead huffed and crossed his arms, acting like he was mad. Jisung just lightly chuckled at his best friend’s behavior. </p><p>It was funny how the two friends could easily change the atmosphere around them to a more happier one but the two were knocked back into the harsh reality of the situation when the door to  the flat Jisung lived in was opened by none other than Ro Kanho, Jisung’s uncle. </p><p>“I knew I heard you”, the man said while looking directly into Jisung’s eyes. The blue-haired teenager gulped. He was scared already, which activated Seungmin’s protection spell instantly. Without knowing Jisung was now protected by an invisible shield. </p><p>The green eyes of the man seemed to pierce through Jisung but he soon shifted his gaze away from his nephew to Seungmin. The redhead glared back with a certain anger visible in his eyes. He looked like he would fight this man with all his might if he made one wrong move, which Jisung somehow appreciated. </p><p>“And who are you?”, Kanho asked without breaking the eye contact with Seungmin. “I am Kim Seungmin, a close friend of your nephew”, the redhead answered clearly and with a certain confidence the older man most certainly didn’t miss. He finally broke the eye contact with Seungmin and thoughtfully stroked his untended beard. </p><p>“I never heard Jisung talk about a Kim Seungmin”, Kanho responded and flicked his eyes to Jisung for a short second, which made the young warlock slightly flinch back. He never told his uncle about Seungmin because he never was interested in his life to begin with but Jisung was also aware of the fact that the man hated surprises.  </p><p>“Then he didn’t have a reason to do so”, Seungmin answered with a little smile on his lips. Kanho just nodded. “I have to thank you for bringing Jisung home, Seungmin. He just disappeared without a trace on Friday”, the man lightly laughed but his eyes held something dark in them. The redhead just smiled sweetly as answer. </p><p>“Oh, there was enough trace, you just didn’t bother to look for him”, he stated in a rather passive aggressive manner. Kanho’s laugh became a light chuckle and it made Jisung just more afraid even when it didn’t seem like a threat in any way. Jisung just never saw his uncle like that. </p><p>“I like your attitude, Kim Seungmin. You should come by more often”, Jisung’s uncle said with a smile that showed a row of yellow teeth. “I will”, the redhead responded, glancing at Jisung. Kanho nodded again, seemingly satisfied with that answer then he looked to Jisung. “We should get inside”, he said to the young blue-haired male. Jisung just nodded and obediently walked to his uncle’s side. He mouthed a “It’s okay” to Seungmin because the redhead looked ready to jump at Kanho even though he still wore a provokingly sweet smile on his lips. </p><p>“Alright then. I will see you tomorrow, Jisung”, the redhead said and he looked at Kanho for a short second. He was warning the man. If something would happened to Jisung later today or if he wouldn’t show up in school tomorrow, Seungmin would haunt Kanho. That was what that little glance more or less said. </p><p>“Call me if you need to”, Seungmin added with his demon voice so only Jisung could hear him. “Yeah, sure“, Jisung answered to both things Seungmin said and showed his best friend a little smile.</p><p>The redhead turned on his heels and walked away while Jisung and his uncle disappeared into their little flat. </p><p>When the door closed Jisung was prepared to get yelled at but his uncle just walked past him to the couch without saying another word and turned on the little TV. Jisung wanted to sneak into his room but his uncle decided to speak up before he had the chance. </p><p>“I guess you got some pretty good friends, huh? Sheltered you for this weekend”, he just stated without looking away from the little screen of the TV. “That Kim Seungmin seems awfully strong for a kid his age. You probably chose him on purpose”, he added, not even glancing at his nephew.</p><p>Jisung didn’t answer at first because he knew it would become an heated argument, which would end bad for the teenager but his uncle would also get angry if he didn’t answer at all, so he let out a small “Yeah” and just ran into his room without even looking into the direction of the man, who was the only family he knew. He closed the door behind him and just stood there for a while. His backpack seemed to weigh a lot more now but the teenager didn’t know why. He just let the weigh drag him down until he sat on the ground, leaning against the closed door. </p><p>Seungmin protected him, so why was he still scared. Shouldn’t he be braver now? Shouldn’t he be able to stand up to his uncle? Shouldn’t he be strong enough to stand up for himself?</p><p>Truth was, even if Jisung was protected by a demon he couldn’t just magically become brave and talk back to the person he learned to fear over the years. He couldn’t learn how to protect himself over night, so he was left with the same awful feelings as always. </p><p>The blue-haired male hugged his knees close to his chest. He realized that he was still wearing Minho’s dark blue hoodie under his coat as well as the cat hybrid’s grey sweatpants. Jisung let the backpack and coat slip off his shoulders, so he could see the dark blue material of the hoodie. </p><p>The young warlock buried himself into the hoodie in hopes of getting the comfort he needed and he did in some way. He distracted his mind with thoughts of the cat hybrid with the light brown hair, beautiful laugh and smile. </p><p>Before Jisung fell asleep leaning against the door the warlock got up and slipped into his rather uncomfortable bed but he was lulled into dreamland anyway.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Groups</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung briefly talks to his potions and spells teacher about his strange visions and then has a lesson about the different types of groups with his class.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jeongin waited impatiently for his potions and spells class to end. It was not because the lesson, subject or teacher was boring. No, he liked potion and spells, he liked Mr. Lee because he was funny but still a very good teacher and the current lesson about a little portal spell was very interesting but the young kitsune just wanted to run out of this room and to his home room in hopes of meeting a certain cat hybrid with freckles. </p><p>To be more specific Jeongin wanted to run up to Felix and hug him for no reason at all. Ever since the little sleep over they had at the Lee’s house Jeongin wanted to be around Felix a lot more for no real reason. Maybe it was because he let Felix’s sunshine-like personality infect him a little bit. </p><p>Seungmin and Jisung, who sat on the two desk to the young fox spirit’s right side, where slightly confused by Jeongin’s impatient behavior because normally he was the quietest and calmest of the three but he couldn’t keep quiet or still today. He even messed up the spell they were currently learning multiple times, which was very unlike him. </p><p>“By the love of all gods. Yang Jeongin would you please focus. I know you can do better than that”, Mr. Lee, a 25-year old warlock with white hair and dark brown eyes, called out when Jeongin messed up the spell again. </p><p>Jeongin mumbled a “Sorry” and wanted to try again but Mr. Lee walked up to his desk, which made the kitsune stop his current motion. “What’s wrong, Jeongin? Normally you mastered a spell by now. Are you not feeling well? Did something happen?”, Mr. Lee asked quietly so only Jeongin could properly understand him. </p><p>“Nothing happened”, the blond boy answered while shaking his head lightly. Mr. Lee just released a breath. “Alright then”, he said and moved so he stood behind Jeongin. “I know you normally don’t need my help but guess today is an exception. Focus on what I am saying and do exactly what I instruct you to, alright?”, the older warlock instructed. Jeongin nodded eagerly, hoping to finally get the spell right. </p><p>With the help of Mr. Lee, Jeongin finally focused and created a small portal like everybody else more or less. It took a bit of afford to stabilize the little portal since it was a lot of focused magic but Jeongin managed it just fine.</p><p>Mr. Lee patted his shoulder with a proud smile on his face and returned to the front of the class just as the bell rang. </p><p>“Good job everybody”, Mr. Lee complimented the class. “Practice this spell at home a little bit so we can try to teleport things from one point to another with the help of the little portals but be very careful, alright?”, he added and then dismissed everyone. </p><p>Jeongin quickly stuffed his things into his bag and then sprinted out of the classroom without much thought, which left Seungmin and Jisung kind of speechless for a moment. Yes, the younger just ditched them. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>“What’s up with him today?”, Jisung mumbled. Seungmin just shrugged and shook his head. “I will follow him while you talk to Mr. Lee about your visions”, the redhead reminded the other. </p><p>Jisung had told his best friend about his plan to talk to Mr. Lee about his visions just this morning and in all honesty Seungmin seemed to be very glad that the blue-haired warlock would finally do that since he had suggested it multiple times but Jisung refused because his vision never really showed anything up until now. </p><p>“Alright. See you in our society class then”, Jisung answered. Seungmin nodded and ran out of the classroom in hopes of finding a certain blond kitsune. </p><p>Jisung walked up to Mr. Lee’s desk who currently ordered some sheets into one of his folders. “Mr. Lee? Can I talk to you for a minute?”, the young male asked, fidgeting with his fingers. “Sure you can but remember that it’s just Minhyuk after the lessons. It don’t like to be called Mr. Lee all the time. Makes me feel old”, the older warlock chuckled and looked up to meet the Jisung’s eyes. He smiled kindly like he did most of the time. </p><p>Jisung slightly mirrored the kind smile of his teacher but still felt a certain nervousness. “Do you have any experience on visions?” the young male asked and fiddled with the hem of the yellow sweater he was wearing in order to keep his finger occupied. Minhyuk looked a little bit surprised at the question. </p><p>“Yeah I have. Never had them myself but I learned about them. What they can mean, what they can cause, how they work and why only certain warlocks have them”, the older warlock answered while tilting his head from side to the other while recalling the things he knew about visions. </p><p>Jisung stayed quiet for a short while. He thought about the words he would use next but it somehow felt difficult to ask about his own vision. Minhyuk mustered his student and slightly opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by a knock on the classroom door and a familiar face, which peeked into the room.  </p><p>It was another teacher of Miroh High. The sports teacher Lee Hoseok but he always introduced himself as Mr. Shin or Wonho to students. Most of the time as Wonho because he didn’t like to be called Mr. Shin all the time. It made him feel so far away from his students. </p><p>“Sorry to interrupt so suddenly but Hyungwoo is searching for you, Minhyuk”, the black-haired male excused his action while looking from Jisung to Minhyuk. The warlock with the white hair turned his attention from his colleague back to his student. </p><p>“We will continue this talk another time. Don’t be afraid to ask again, Jisung”, Minhyuk said to his student and put his right hand on the young male’s shoulder while sending him an reassuring smile. Jisung nodded, lightly biting the inside of his cheek. “Good. Now better get to your next class before the bell rings”, Minhyuk said. The younger nodded again, bid his goodbye to both teachers and left the classroom in a fast pace. </p><p>Jisung slowed down a little bit after turning at one corner and strolled down the corridors absentmindedly. He didn’t really think about anything. He just walked with his gaze casted downwards. Suddenly he saw a little scene before his inner eye again. </p><p>He saw the cafeteria and his group of friends sitting at their respective table but a certain redhead was missing. Not for long though because he walked up to the table with someone behind him. It was Seo Changbin, the quiet leader of Miroh High’s vampire out of all people. Suddenly the scene focused on Minho, who didn’t looked really pleased but he seemed to stay quiet and not make any sassy remark. </p><p>The scene suddenly changed out of nowhere and showed some members of the vampire gang along with Seungmin. Changbin was nowhere to be seen though. The vampires stood in front of the redhead and didn’t look very nice. Something they said must have triggered something in Seungmin because he suddenly showed his horns and devil’s tail while glaring at the vampires. The arms of the redhead turned into pitch black claws and the vampires seemed to be scared out of their minds. Seungmin looked ready to jump at them and rip them into pieces. He didn’t even look like himself anymore. The creature Jisung saw just looked evil and ... demonic. </p><p>Jisung was ripped out of this little cleared up part of his vision when he bumped into someone. “Sorry”, he immediately apologized without even properly looking at the person he ran into. “This seems a little familiar”, a familiar voice chuckled. Jisung finally looked up to face the person he ran into. </p><p>It was Minho who had his usual cat-like smile on his lips. For a short moment Jisung was stunned but then he remembered what Minho said and didn’t understand what the older was referring to.</p><p>“What do you mean, hyung?”, Jisung asked in confusion. “I will say it in your words”, he stated and cleared his throat like an theater actor before a performance. “Woah, dude. Be careful where you are going”, Minho mimicked Jisung’s voice. The light bulb above Jisung’s head lit up. </p><p>“Ohh. I remember”, the young warlock said and smiled sheepishly. He remembered their first encounter now. Minho had run into Jisung while searching for Felix. The older’s smile transformed into a smirk. </p><p>“Good thing you do. Where are you heading so absentmindedly?”, the older asked. “To my home room”, the blue-haired male answered. Minho started to laugh out of nowhere. Jisung tilted his head to the side in confusion but slowly realized why the cat hybrid was laughing when he started to look around. He was near the indoor gym of the school, which was very far away from his home room. </p><p>Jisung’s face of realization made Minho laugh even harder while the warlock’s cheek became red and he hit the older’s shoulder multiple times to make him stop laughing. Problem was Jisung’s hits could be described at a kitten pawing something without claws. </p><p>“Stop laughing and help me before I am too late for my society class”, Jisung complained. Minho slowly calmed down from his laughing fit and looked at the younger with amusement glimmering in his brown orbs. “What do you want me to do? Carry you to your class?”, the cat hybrid asked jokingly. “If this brings me to my class on time I would have nothing against it”, the warlock huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. </p><p>Minho just smirked at that. “As you wish”, Minho said smugly and casually picked Jisung up like a princess. The blue-haired male shrieked at this bold move but automatically put his arms around Minho’s neck. “Hold on tight”, the cat hybrid instructed. “Wait, wait, wait. I wasn’t serious”, Jisung tried to save himself but it was no use. </p><p>The older cat hybrid started running and Jisung wrapped his arms tighter around the older’s neck out of instinct. The warlock just thought that everything he knew about the abilities of cat hybrid’s was nothing compared to the real deal. Minho was one hell of a fast and agile cat hybrid, meaning Jisung was in front of his home room on time. </p><p>Minho let the younger down, who was still a little shocked that his hyung just ran with him through the half school like he weighed nothing. “T-thanks”, the blue-haired male thanked the older with a little stutter. “No problem, Hannie”, the older said and ruffled through the warlock’s blue hair. </p><p>The bell interrupted any further conversation. “See you in the Cafeteria after this period”, the older said. “See you”, Jisung answered and slightly waved. Minho mirrored the action with a grin and began running back to the gym, probably being a lot faster than when he carried Jisung. </p><p>Jisung slipped into his classroom. Their society teacher wasn’t there yet but the warlock was met with the bright smiles and greetings of his friends and a little surprise. Jeongin sat on Felix’s lap looking absolutely content like a little child, who got his desired candy. </p><p>Sadly they couldn’t talk much before they all had to go to their seats because Mr. Kim, a dark haired vampire and their society teacher entered the classroom. Mr. Kim started working at Miroh High last year and was probably the youngest teacher at Miroh High with 24 years but he had a pretty high IQ so it wasn’t that surprising. </p><p>Besides if you were honest all teachers at this school were quite young. Mr. Kim was also married to their history teacher, which was sometimes quite funny because they behaved like they have been married for years even though they just said their vows last summer. </p><p>Mr. Kim laid his folders on the desk in the front and straightened his back. “You will probably all hate me now but we will have to talk about groups and organizations again”, he said and leaned on the desk. A lot of people groaned but some also seemed interested like Felix, Jeongin and Hyunjin. Yes, they already knew some things about this topic from their parents but they think this topic was interesting in general. </p><p>Jisung had a pretty neutral opinion on groups. He wasn’t part of one but didn’t despise the thought of joining one, even though he didn’t plan on it any time soon. Sure the topic of groups was something pretty much every teacher talked about at some point but it was also pretty interesting since group structures evolved a lot these days. </p><p>“I know. I know. It’s a boring topic because you have heard enough of it from your parents and your last society teacher but they become more and more important nowadays. Especially after some groups took over the task of keeping up the spells that hide our world form the human one. Does anyone know the names of the group,  who currently have this task?”, Mr. Kim asked the class, scanning over his students for a moment. </p><p>A girl with green hair raised her hand. “Yes, Akira”, the teacher said and looked at the girl. “Currently the Got7 group takes care of this task the most but the groups NCT, Seventeen and K.A.R.D are also considered to be the guardians of our world”, Akira answered with a proud smile on her lip. She was one of the best students of the class but unlike Hyunjin and Seungmin, who also had very good grades, she prided herself with those numbers on a sheet of paper.</p><p>“Perfect answer, Akira”, Mr. Kim praised and smiled lightly,  which revealed his dimples. “And why is it so special that groups like that take care of the spell that keeps our society hidden? I think Jaemin can answer this”, the teacher said and looked at a male with dark hair with flowers in it, who sat in the first row. Na Jaemin was a naiad and also a pretty good student. </p><p>“Because no member of these groups is older than thirty. Some are even still in school or university, making them the youngest guardian groups in history”, Jaemin answered while a proud smile made its way onto the male’s lips. </p><p>“Correct. Now the golden question. Who of you is already in a group?”, Mr. Kim questioned, looking into the class. Nearly the whole class raised their hand. Jisung, Seungmin, Felix, Jeongin and Hyunjin along with two girls didn’t. This was a little bit sad if you took into consideration that the class had 24 students and only seven weren’t in a group. </p><p>“That are a lot”, Mr. Kim commented with a whistle. “Swearing loyalty to a group is a big step but you all know that, right? Still the question why someone would do that is a little difficult to answer because everybody has their own reason to do so. Does anyone want to tell the class why they joined their group or why they didn’t?”, the teacher continued while walking around a little bit. </p><p>It was really intriguing to see how Mr. Kim made this lesson interesting. Jisung was surprised to see that even Seungmin seemed to listen to him even though the redhead tended to read in his textbook when the topic groups came up since he already knew a lot about all sorts groups. </p><p>A male with violet hair raised his hand. His name was Lee Donghyuck but was better known as the infamous warlock Haechan. He wasn’t really known for anything special but he was loud and annoying enough to let everybody in the school know his name. </p><p>“Donghyuck”, Mr. Kim gave the warlock the permission to talk. “I didn’t really join my group because it wasn’t really a group yet but I mainly joined because it felt nice having a lot of people around that treat you like you are their brother”, Haechan explain rather serious but still with a smile, which surprise nearly the whole class. Mr. Kim nodded in understanding. </p><p>“A lot of people join a group because of the feeling of protection they get from it. It’s a quite interesting phenomenon because nearly everybody, who is a member of a group will say that their group feels like a family to them”, Mr. Kim explained and you could see that he had a little proud smile on his lips, probably because he thought about his own group. </p><p>The lesson continued with some more implications from other students, like Lee Junyoung who was a member of the group IZ and Son Dongju, better known as Xion, a member of the group ONEUS. It was also revealed to the whole class that five members of NCT were sitting among them. These were Haechan aka Lee Donhyuck, Na Jaemin, Lui YangYang, a wind mage with dark fluffy hair, Lee Jeno, a typical werwolf and Huang Renjun, a warlock, who a lot of girls claimed looked like an angel. They proudly showed the class their group symbols. Haechan had it on his right shoulder, Jaemin and Renjun on their right wrists, YangYang on his ankle and Jeno on the back of his right hand, which nobody had noticed before due his leather gloves.</p><p>The reason why the majority didn’t catch onto the fact that they were part of such a famous group was simple, nobody paid attention to it because two years ago NCT wasn’t that big of a deal. It was a simple group founded by students and teenagers. Now a lot of people regretted not having paid attention to them sooner since a lot of their groups members were very powerful creatures. </p><p>“Alright. We got some important things covered already but we still need to discuss the different types of groups. Can somebody tell me something about that”, Mr. Kim continued to talk. Seungmin raised his hand to his friends’ surprise. </p><p>“Yes, Seungmin”, Mr. Kim gave the redhead the allowance to speak. “Beside groups there are also clans, packs, organizations, tribes, shoals and simple families. Clans are pretty common among cat-like hybrids, harpies, banshees and mages of the same element as well as packs are nearly normal for werewolves and all wolf-like hybrids. Organizations were more or less created by vampires and were formerly known as courts but after all vampire courts were united under one pair of noble vampires, who were later crowned to king and queen in the 10th century they decided to rename the structure, in order to be able to still create special groups of just vampires. Therefore vampires are the only known creatures, who are directly born into a group-structure but can still decide to be part of a group or organization when they are old enough. Tribes are similar to clans and common among demi-dragons, fairies, elves, dryads, naiads, warlocks and surprisingly nymphs. Shoals are common among mermaids and creatures, who were loners in the ancient times like gorgons, alas and kitsunes now often live in families with their own kind”, Seungmin explained in almost one breath, letting the whole class stare at him in disbelief. Even Mr. Kim seemed stunned for a short moment but then a proud smile made it’s way onto his lips. </p><p>“Perfectly summarized”, Mr. Kim praised the redhead. Jisung could see a faint smug smile on his best friend’s face, letting him mentally sigh and wonder why he was even friends with this little show-off.  </p><p>They discussed the group structure further and again everybody, who was in a group could explain something from their experience. It was overall nice to listen to the many different little stories. Mr. Kim also gave his students many impulses they could think about. For example, what are the difference between the different group structures nowadays and why the groups who were founded in the last fifteen years just stuck with the term “group” instead of clan, pack, tribe, shoal or organization? This was a somehow tricky question because everybody had a different answer to that. </p><p>The bell rang and ended the lesson. All students were a little bit surprised because it didn’t feel like a whole hour already passed. Mr. Kim really was a brilliant teacher if he made his students feel like time passed by quickly.  </p><p>“We will continue this talk next lesson because you seem quite interested now”, Mr. Kim stated with a grin. The whole class just agreed while packing their stuff. The majority of the class fangirled/fanboyed a little bit when they saw how Mr. Kim walked out of the classroom only to be met with the face of his husband but the moment was short lived since they went their way rather quickly. </p><p>“Should we go to the cafeteria to meet the hyungs?”, Felix asked when the five friends were finished packing their stuff. “What’s that even for a question. Of course, let’s go”, Hyunjin said cheerily and grabbed Felix’s hand as well as Jeongin’s because they were standing the closest to the siren right now and dragged the two out of the class. </p><p>Jisung looked after them with the ghost of a smile on his lips. “We got a bunch of idiots as friends” Seungmin commented with a huff while starting to walk. “At least they are our idiots”, the blue-haired male responded and followed the redhead, who lightly laughed at the warlock’s comment.</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. False alarm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin sits with Seungmin at his friends and the whole school gets send into panic mode after an alarm.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin was seated at his usual table in the cafeteria. And for the love of all the gods above heaven he just wanted to have a quiet break for once but Ryan along with the other vampires, who always followed the black-haired prince just couldn’t leave Changbin alone for fifteen minutes. So the short male just sat at the end of the table looking out of the big window on his left with a blank expression while making a few snappy remarks if someone dared to talk to him.</p><p>“Worst combo of the school just entered the cafeteria”, Ryan, who sat on Changbin’s right, commented. This actually got the vampire prince’s interest and he turned his head to follow Ryan’s gaze. Changbin had to refer from laughing when he saw that Ryan was looking at Seungmin and a blond male.</p><p>Changbin already knew that the blond was the infamous kitsune Yang Jeongin, who at some point had scared the shit out of Ryan. The black-haired vampire observed the two younger males quietly. They seemed to have fun judging by the smiles on their faces and the occasional laughs. For some reason Changbin noticed that he kind of liked Seungmin’s smile. He looked so cute and innocent while smiling. It somehow reminded Changbin of a cute little puppy. </p><p>Changbin noticed that his observation of the two had slowly morphed into just staring at Seungmin and well he was caught doing so by none other than the redhead he was staring at himself. Seungmin looked into his direction letting their eyes meet for a short moment. The black-haired vampire immediately looked back to the window on his left, hoping that the redhead would not say anything about it.</p><p>Nobody of the other vampires noticed how Changbin’s cheeks became a light shade of pink, mainly because he managed to keep his blank expression up right and focused on the snowy trees he could see through the window.</p><p>“Hey, why is Kim Seungmin heading for our table?”, Chantelle, a young female noble vampire with long dark brown hair asked while eyeing the redhead with an irritated expression. Changbin looked to Chantelle, following her gaze until his eyes once more landed on Seungmin, who was confidently walking up to the vampire table with the ghost of a grin on his lips. The other vampires mumbled among them while already glaring at the redhead, who seemingly ignored them and just focused on Changbin. </p><p>Seungmin wordlessly rounded the table so he stood in front of Changbin, which caused the older male to slightly look up to the redhead. “Care to join me and my friends?”, Seungmin asked with a little smirk on his lips while offering Changbin his right hand. To say the rest of the vampires were surprised and shocked was an understatement but nobody dared to say a word because Changbin still had his blank expression on, meaning he looked cold and intimidating while internally he forced himself to not smile or show that he was really happy to be asked to join Seungmin and his friends. </p><p>“Sure”, Changbin answered in a rather cold tone while internally he was cheering Seungmin seemingly knew he was faking because his smirk slowly turned into a happy grin.  The black-haired vampire casually took Seungmin’s hand so the redhead could pull him up, which he did gladly while glancing at the dumbfounded as well as slightly shocked expressions of Ryan, Chantelle and the other vampires on the table. Seungmin didn’t let go of Changbin’s hand and just pulled the vampire along with him. Changbin didn’t even say bye to his little followers he just let Seungmin guide him to the table of his friends. </p><p>A kind of nervousness overcame Changbin when he saw Seungmin’s group of friends but he internally pushed that feeling away and kept up his blank expression. Maybe the vampire even held Seungmin’s hand a bit tighter to get his nervousness under control but nobody except Seungmin noticed it.  </p><p>——————————</p><p>Everybody of the group of friends was surprised when Seungmin came back to them with Changbin except for one. Jisung, because he saw this exact scene not so long ago. That was why his eyes immediately flicked to Minho, who sat opposite him but the cat hybrid had a neutral expression on his face. He wasn’t glaring at the vampire in the slightest. </p><p>“This is Changbin, a friend of mine”, Seungmin casually introduced the vampire even though he was aware of the fact that everybody on this table knew the black-haired male more or less. </p><p>Jisung was a bit confused after the feeling of déjà-vu passed. Seungmin wasn’t the person to easily call someone his friend and until now Jisung had no clue that the redhead even had contact to the black-haired vampire but he slowly connected some dots while Changbin was kindly greeted by Byungho, Chan, Hyunjin and Felix. “Is Changbin the friend who help Seungmin track down Valentin King?”, Jisung thought. His eyes immediately flicked to Changbin.</p><p>The vampire had an expressionless face but showed small smiles towards the people, who talked to him which were mainly Chan, Byungho, Hyunjin and Felix. Chan and Byungho asked some basic questions because even though they were in the same class with the vampire they knew nearly nothing about him. Felix was just being an angel like always and wanted to get to know the newcomer as well as Hyunjin, who took turn with Felix asking the vampire questions. Jeongin said nothing but he seemed to watch Changbin’s every move with a neutral expression. Minho seemed to do the same. Seungmin just stood next the vampire and occasionally joined the conversation. </p><p>So, leave it to Jisung to just stay a little awkward and miss the most important part about Changbin’s appearance. He was holding hands with Seungmin. The warlock only noticed this when Seungmin pulled the vampire to the free space on the table, so the two could sit down. Yes, Jisung was pretty out of it. So much that it took Minho to lightly kick his shin under the table to get him out of it. </p><p>The blue-haired male immediately looked to the cat hybrid on the opposite side of the table and wanted to complain to him about the kick but he shut his mouth when he noticed that the older tried to subtly nod to Chan. Jisung looked over to the wolf hybrid and noticed the other’s worried gaze, which laid on him. </p><p>“Everything alright?“, the male with the silver hair asked. Jisung blinked in confusion before he realized that the attention of all his friends was on him. “O-oh. Yeah, I am totally fine. I just spaced out a little”, Jisung answered and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. </p><p>His friends wanted to ask him more questions but the bell rang and they had to go back to their classrooms. But well he went to the same class with four of his friends therefore he couldn’t escape further questions. </p><p>“You know you can always talk to us, right?”, Felix said while sliding his arm over the warlock’s shoulder when they were walking down the corridors to get to their class. They said bye to their hyungs and Changbin when they left the cafeteria. </p><p>“Of course I know”, Jisung responded. “Then talk to us when something is wrong”, Hyunjin said, who walked on Jisung’s other side. “Sometimes it isn’t that easy”, the warlock mumbled more to himself than his friends. “Alright. Give the man some room”, Seungmin suddenly said and freed Jisung from between Felix and Hyunjin by pushing the siren and cat hybrid to the sides. </p><p>The siren and cat hybrid stopped in their tracks while looking like kicked puppies when Seungmin had to more or less save Jisung but they didn’t protest against it. Jeongin also stopped and looked kind of guilty but he remained quiet. </p><p>So the friends stood there in the almost empty hall way, split in two halves. Jisung felt bad when he saw his friends sad. He knew that they just wanted the best for him but sometimes it was a bit much. He wasn’t really used to having them around. After all the only friend he had since middle school was Seungmin. The two always have been a duo but now he had a whole group of friends, who worried about him but hadn’t known him for that long. But despite all that he really appreciated their concern. </p><p>“I know you only want the best for me but sometimes it isn’t that easy to just open up, you know”,  Jisung explained, avoiding to look directly into his friends eyes. He wasn’t used to people trying get him to talk. Seungmin for example wasn’t like that. He waited until Jisung talked to him but if it was an emergency like the incident with the bite he would get the information one way or another. It was a weird way to be supportive but until now the more or less only kind Jisung knew.</p><p>Hyunjin and Felix looked at each other and wanted to apologize but Jeongin beat them to it. “Sorry that we are being so intrusive, hyung”, Jeongin apologized for the three of them with his gaze casted down. The siren and cat hybrid looked at the youngest of the group and then to Jisung to nod in confirmation. </p><p>“Nononono. Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong just ... just know that I appreciate your worry and I would be stupid to not do so”, the warlock panicked at the beginning but became calmer in the end. “I will tell you everything about me one day in the future. I promise you that”, Jisung added to his little speech. </p><p>Seungmin lightly smiled and put his hand on the warlock’s shoulder. This was the best representation of the changes Jisung had gone through throughout the years since Seungmin had become friends with the warlock but the redhead wouldn’t be himself when he didn’t mock the blue-haired male for it. </p><p>“Squirrelboy has matured so much. I am proud”, Seungmin mockingly said while whipping away a nonexistent tear. This was also kind of mean because Jeongin, Felix and Hyunjin looked really like they were about to cry. </p><p>Jisung hit the redhead while calling him a brat, which made Seungmin only laugh. “I hate all of you”, Jeongin stated while wiping away the tears that had formed in his eyes. “Naw. Jeonginnie was nearly crying”, Hyunjin said but his eyes were also glossy. </p><p>“You are also nearly crying”, the youngest shot back and started hitting his cousin’s shoulder. Felix lightly laughed at the two but he wasn’t any better than them. “Stop laughing”, the two said in union to the freckled boy, which only caused the ginger to laugh harder. </p><p>Jisung and Seungmin watched with amusement how Jeongin and Hyunjin tried to tickle Felix for laughing at them. Which was kind of ironic if you think about it. “N-no. Stop. Jisung, Seungmin help me”, the cat hybrid called out for the warlock and redhead while laughing. Seungmin and Jisung looked at each other for a brief moment. Somehow Jisung wanted to stand by and do nothing but he had no idea if Seungmin was thinking the same. Spoiler, he didn’t think the same.</p><p>“Of course we will help. Here, take Jisung instead of Felix”, Seungmin said and pushed the warlock towards the two cousins and the cat hybrid. Hyunjin immediately caught him while he left Felix to Jeongin. “Seungmin, you traitor!”, Jisung complained while laughing because Hyunjin had no mercy and immediately started to tickle him. </p><p>In the end Jisung managed to also pull Seungmin into this mess as revenge. Nobody knew how or why but the five friends ended up in a group hug. They were in their own little world at the moment but it didn’t last because someone, who cleared his throat brought them back to earth. </p><p>It was a quite tall, skinny male with silver hair as well as a pair of white round cat-like ears on top of his head. He looked like he had just escaped from a runaway but Jisung was pretty sure he was a teacher. </p><p>Felix instantly recognized him as his transformation teacher, Mr. Chae. “Hello, Mr. Chae”, Felix greeted his teacher politely while ending the group hug. “Shouldn’t you all be in your class?”, Mr. Chae asked, putting a hand on his hip. The five friends knew the answer to that question perfectly well but they hadn’t noticed how much time had passed. </p><p>“We got distracted”, Seungmin answered quickly and it wasn’t even a lie. “I could see that”, Mr. Chae answered and lightly smiled, which embarrassed the teenagers to a certain degree. </p><p>Suddenly an alarm went off. The teenagers immediately covered their ears at the loud noise. Especially Felix. Mr. Chae just looked alarmed. “Go to your class now”, the teacher said with a certain urgency in his voice. This slightly scared the five teenagers and they took off fast. </p><p>They ran to their classroom, which nearly resulted in them crashing into their history teacher, who just left the room with Haechan, YangYang, Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun following behind him. “Where have you five been? Get in there immediately”, Mr. Kim scolded and shooed the five into the classroom where they were met with their equally scared classmates. </p><p>“What just happened?”, Felix asked in a hushed voice when Mr. Kim closed the door behind the five friends, which silenced the alarm a little bit. “I have no idea”, Jisung answered while slightly shaking his head. </p><p>The five went to the back of the classroom to Seungmin and Jisung’s seats where they sat down, waiting for someone to explain what the hell just happened. Felix was at some point tired of just waiting, hoped down from his place on Jisung’s desk and walked to up to Lee Junyoung, who sat alone at his desk listening to music through his headphones probably to distract himself. </p><p>“Junyoung?”, Felix tried to get the werewolf’s attention by calling his name. The brown-haired male looked up to Felix and slipped the headphones off, letting them hang around his neck. “Yeah?”, he asked in slight confusion. “Do you know by any chance what happened?”, the cat hybrid asked with a light smile. “I got no clue. I only know that after the alarm went off not long after the lesson started and we were told to stay put by Mr. Kim. He wanted to go out but then his husband came and told him something I couldn’t pick up on because of the loud alarm before he speeded off again. So, Mr. Kim called Jaemin, Jeno, Haechan, YangYang and Renjun to follow him but the rest shouldn’t leave the classroom. Then you and your friends came and the alarm quiet down at least in here”, Junyoung explained while playing with the hem with his sleeves. “Thank you”, Felix thanked him with a kind smile. “No problem”, the werewolf responded almost shyly. </p><p>Felix sent the werewolf a kind smile again and went back to his group of friends. “Did you hear everything or do I need to repeat it?”, the ginger questioned with his hands on his hips when all his friends were looking at him like he was an alien. All of them shook their head. They had listened to the little conversation mainly because Felix just walked up to Junyoung without saying a word. </p><p>—————————</p><p>Seungmin weighed the possible options while taking all the informations he knew into consideration. A rather scary possibility dawned to him. “What if all the NCT members of our class were called because something is wrong with the barrier between our world and the human world?”, the redhead then asked out loud. </p><p>“I-isn’t that a little far fetched?”, Hyunjin stuttered a little bit, obviously not liking this theory at all. But the siren wasn’t the only one who hoped this suggestion wasn’t the case. Nearly every student hoped the alarm wasn’t serious and the teacher were fussing over nothing. </p><p>After Seungmin’s suggestion the little group of friends was more or less quiet. They weren’t the only ones though. A lot of students sat quietly together with their friends or like Junyoung, distracted themselves by listening to music or drawing something into their notebooks. </p><p>At one point the alarm was tuned off and it became so quiet in the classroom that Jeongin just hoped down from his place on Seungmin’s desk and walked over to Felix, who was sitting on the ground, letting his back rest against the wall and wordlessly demanded a hug. Of course the cat hybrid didn’t decline and let Jeongin settle down in front of him, so he could wrap his arms around the kitsune. </p><p>Seungmin guessed that Jeongin couldn’t stand the quietness any longer and decided to seek comfort in Felix’s arms. He couldn’t blame the blond for that since Felix’s aura felt always bright and comforting even in situations like this one. </p><p>Hyunjin, who was sitting on Jisung’s desk, caught Seungmin’s attention by hoping down from the desk and walking over to Felix and Jeongin. He sat down beside the two and the looked at Seungmin but also Jisung. He patted his thigh lightly, signaling the, to come to him. Jisung sighed lightly but didn’t hesitated long to stand up and walk over to Hyunjin, laying down beside the siren so his head was resting on Hyunjin’s thigh. </p><p>Seungmin couldn’t help but lightly smile and stand up from his chair to join his friends. Jisung scooted closer to the wall and then patted his stomach. The redhead understood the little unspoken message and laid down, letting his head rest on Jisung’s stomach. </p><p>Now they had a perfect arrangement because Hyunjin could calm down his nerves by running his fingers through Jisung’s hair, which also made the warlock feel at ease and Seungmin could stare at the ceiling and think in peace. </p><p>It took two hours of this waiting before their history teacher, Mr. Kim walked back into the classroom along with YangYang, Jaemin, Renjun, Jeno and Haechan, saying that everything was alright and luckily it was only a false alarm. This was a huge relief for the whole class because everyone had created a worst case scenario in their head. </p><p>The school day was continued normally but all the NCT members who went to Miroh High were asked a lot of questions by their classmates because all of them were called like Jeno, YangYang, Renjun, Haechan and Jaemin but they didn’t say much about the incident, basically telling everyone that it was a false alarm.</p><p>But the members of NCT weren’t the only ones who were asked to follow their teacher shortly after the alarm went off. No, there was one more person and this person was Seo Changbin. The difference was that he didn’t return with the NCT members of his class.</p><p>As soon as they could Byungho, Chan and Minho went to check up on their younger friends and siblings. Meaning Chan went to the 6A class to check up on his younger brother while Byungho and Minho went straight to the 7B class to check on Felix, Seungmin, Jisung, Hyunjin and Jeongin, after that Byungho excused himself and went to the 6B class to check on Samuel. Everybody was fine, which was a huge relief to the older males.</p><p>“This false alarm was super scary”, Hyunjin commented when the group of friends met up again while slightly shivering. “Chan and Byungho were more worried about their younger siblings and you than scared. Was quite funny to watch how they paced up and down like two parents”, Minho told the younger ones of the group casually, which earned him some chuckles while Byungho and Chan narrowed their eyes at the cat hybrid. </p><p>“Well, our Minho here”, Chan began and laid his arm around the cat hybrid. “Couldn’t sit still because he was so worried about-”, the wolf hybrid wanted to finish but Minho elbowed him in the ribs him, which cut him off. The silver-haired male lightly laughed while holding the spot Minho hit. “He was worried about Felix and Jisung especially”, Byungho just finished what Chan wanted to say without caring about the glare he got from the cat hybrid with the hazelnut brown hair. </p><p>“Minho-hyung”, Felix cooed and went to his brother to hug him but the older dodged. “Don’t believe him. He is lying”, Minho huffed. “I would never to something like that”, he added while continuing to dodge Felix, which resulted in a little chase between the two Lee brothers. The rest only laughed but soon Jisung and Jeongin joined the chase and Hyunjin got Chan to play along as well.</p><p>Seungmin and Byungho walked beside each other while the others ran around in the halls. “Do you know where Changbin went after class?”, the redhead asked the older a little out of the blue. Byungho looked at the younger with an unreadable expression. “Since when do you care so much about Seo Changbin?”, the older asked a question in return but his younger brother was having none of that. “Long enough to be concerned about his well being. So were did Changbin go after your last lesson?”, the redhead asked again.</p><p>Byungho huffed but seemingly knew that it was pointless to argue with Seungmin. “Not long after the alarm started he was told to follow Mr. Yoo along with Hendery and Xiaojun but he didn’t come back with them. He returned a minute before the last lesson ended, to grab his things and leave with the rest of us but he was faster gone than I could realize”, Byungho told the redhead. Seungmin nodded in understanding while he let some possible theories run through his head, why Changbin was called and then disappeared in a seemingly hurry. Maybe it was because he was the vampire prince and was therefore under special protection?</p><p>When the group of friends reached the school gates they were back to walking and talking normally among each other but soon enough everybody went home their separate way except Chan because the wolf hybrid would help Hyunjin study maths at the siren’s house, or apartment to be more specific, like he promised the black-haired siren. </p><p>They shouldn’t be the only ones though who studied for school, after all test and exams would soon come one after another while trying to suffocate the students in school work.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The prince of all vampires</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The exam and test time is over for the year, letting the group of friends feel like celebrating until an old vampire friend of Changbin wants to talk to him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The rest of November and nearly the whole December were filled with tests and exams, which wasn’t really pleasant in anyone’s opinion but everybody managed it somehow and the winter holidays weren’t far, so everybody tried to channel their last bit of energy to make it through this school hell. </p><p>The last exam was in the last week of school before the winter holidays on a Wednesday. It was snowing and Miroh High was more or less absolutely quiet because everybody concentrated on their last exam of the year. Or better it was quiet until a certain warlock stumbled out of his classroom. </p><p>“I survived”, Jisung cheered when the door of his classroom closed behind him were they had their sociology exam. “Congratulations, idiot”, Seungmin congratulated him with a little bit of irony to mock his best friend. The redhead leaned on the opposite wall because he had handed in his exam sheet and left the classroom long before the warlock did. The slightly older blue-haired male glared at the redhead. </p><p>“Nobody is an evil genius like you”, Jisung shot back while Seungmin stuck his tongue out playfully. It was frustrating to see Seungmin nail every exam without studying so much. Jisung on the other hand didn’t want to know how long the had studied in total. The number would depress him.</p><p>“He is not wrong. Seungmin, you are quite the evil genius, especially when it come to tricks and pranks”, Hyunjin spoke up, who leaned on the wall next to the door. The siren finished not so long after Seungmin and it wouldn’t surprise Jisung when the black-haired male had a perfect score on his sociology exam. He had that on a lot of his tests and exams, even in math were he had struggled before but Chan seemed to be a very good tutor. </p><p>“See Hyunjin agrees with me”, Jisung said and held out his hand for Hyunjin to High-five, which the siren didn’t turn down. “Well at least I’m a genius”, Seungmin smirked, not letting his two friends tease him. </p><p>The door of the classroom was opened again revealing Felix and Jeongin. “I died” Felix said and let himself fall dramatically into Jeongin’s arms. The youngest of the group was a little too surprised and was barely able to catch the cat hybrid. Still he was composed enough to drag the cat hybrid away from the door, so the next one who opened it wouldn’t smack it into Felix’s face. </p><p>“Were you that bad?”, Jisung asked the ginger. The cat hybrid raised his head to look at the warlock. “Well I didn’t do good so yeah”, he answered and slumped into Jeongin once more who let out a quiet cry of dismay. “Hyung, you are heavy”, he complained. “Ya! You are so mean”, Felix responded while the the rest laughed. He stood up smoothly and let go of Jeongin, so he could pretend to be mad at the youngest. </p><p>The bell rang, indicating for the exam to end for everybody. This asked for a little celebration and since everyone was here already Jisung had a very simple idea to have some fun.</p><p>“Race to the cafeteria”, the warlock yelled and bolted towards the cafeteria. “Unfair!”, Seungmin called after him and broke into a run with Hyunjin, Jeongin and Felix not far behind him. </p><p>The five ran to the cafeteria while occasionally laughing like little children. The world felt okay at this moment and to be frank the last few weeks were more or less peaceful. For example Jisung’s uncle had rarely been at home over the last few weeks, giving the young warlock some space to breath but it had a reason because Changbin kept his word and brought Valentin King behind bars for drinking the blood from an underaged warlock forcefully. Of course Jisung’s uncle somehow heard of that, which probably led to his constant leaving the flat. </p><p>Also after Jisung’s “false” vision part, nothing new happened in that section. It just seemed to have stopped. Of course he had finally managed to talk to Mr. Lee, or better Minhyuk, properly about his visions without saying anything that could harm someone, which was why he kept the vision the had about Seungmin a secret, even from the redhead himself. </p><p>Even though Minhyuk was an experienced warlock and potions and spells teacher couldn’t really explain why Jisung’s visions were so strange and not even accurate at one point. It made no sense to anybody but Minhyuk suggested that maybe Jisung just needed to get used to have visions and learn more about them, so Jisung promised himself to look into the already collected knowledge about visions as soon as his exams were over. </p><p>To get to Seungmin, his family was as complicated as always but it helped him that he could talk to Jisung about it, which was why the warlock now knew a lot about the Kim family but he still had the feeling that Seungmin left out some parts. </p><p>Despite the incident with Wonpil and Lilith being from around two mouths ago, the older redhead was still locked up in the mansion more or less but Seungmin found an effective way to let the rest of Day6 sneak into the mansion without anyone noticing. The redhead had told Jisung how he was now nearly used to be greeted by Dowoon when he entered his older brother’s room because the vampire was there nearly all the time and caught Wonpil up on anything Uni related but according to Seungmin the vampire just wanted to be with his oldest brother, which was why Seungmin wouldn’t hesitate to call Dowoon Wonpil’s boyfriend but they weren’t officially dating yet, which was a miracle in the young demon’s opinion. </p><p>Seungmin also told Jisung that he hadn’t seen his mother Lilith ever since December started. She seemed to be busy with other things but Seungmin had no clue what those things could be. Still the absence of his mother didn’t stop Seungmin from plotting something to break the tower curse Lilith casted over Wonpil and take a kind of revenge for his brother. Jisung helped Seungmin research on the tower curse a few times but they weren’t able to come up with a way to break it just yet. </p><p>The redhead had also another thing his personal mission. This one included a certain vampire because over the last one and a half month Seungmin tried to immigrant Changbin into Jisung and Seungmin’s group of friends. Was it working? Yes. Was it hard to free the vampire prince from his followers sometimes? Yes, but it wasn’t that big of an issue up until now. Mainly because Jeongin just needed to send one glare Ryan’s way and he would back away instantly with the rest of his vampire friends. This made Seungmin thank Jeongin the first time he did it, which had confused Jisung and the kitsune but neither hadn’t questioned it. </p><p>Jisung liked Changbin if he was honest. The vampire was surprisingly nice despite his cold aura and often expressionless face. He wasn’t the loudest person but Jisung had the feeling that the other was just hiding behind a quiet and cold persona, which he probably needed to have the other vampires under control. Somehow Jisung was a bit puzzled why Changbin even hung out with the other vampires when he clearly found them annoying.</p><p>To sum the last one and a half month up: Changbin became more or less a part of it because they often studied together in their free periods or after school. The vampire was pretty good in every suspect even spells and potions, which was a huge surprise.</p><p>Even if some of the group of friends had a strange feeling about Changbin being with them at first, it disappeared after Seungmin brought him to a study session for the third time in a row. Why you may ask? Well it was simple, Ryan had been annoying on that day that Changbin couldn’t keep up his blank expression and distant behavior when they started to study, meaning the group saw a more or less laid back and friendly Changbin, who it was easy to have a conversation with. Jisung would describe this point as the “turning point” because from there on Changbin was a lot more open to the group of friends. </p><p>Seeing Changbin open up a little towards the group triggered something in Jisung. Valentin King was already behind bars at that point and the warlock knew it was Changbin and Seungmin’s doing, even when they said nothing about it. Therefore on a Friday evening at Felix’s and Minho’s house when the group finished studying, Jisung brought up the courage to just tell his friends including Changbin, because Jisung referred to the older vampire as a friend at that point what happened with the bite but he somehow felt the need to not mention the role of his uncle in this mess or that Seungmin and Changbin got Valentin King behind bars. After Jisung was finished talking his friends nearly killed him with one giant but suffocating group hug. Not that he had minded it. </p><p>Over the past months Jisung also noticed himself not only liking Changbin a lot as a friend but also wanting to be close to Minho. He liked the older cat hybrid’s company a lot despite the other teasing him on a daily base. The older also kept his little promise about Jisung wearing his cloths. Every time Jisung would be at the Lee’s house Minho would drag him up to his room and make him wear at least one of his hoodies. He claimed that Jisung looked cute in his cloths and therefore made the other wear them. Of course Jisung had to blush at this. </p><p>Felix and Hyunjin also started to tease Jisung about having a crush on Minho, which the warlock denied every time with a blush on his cheeks. He didn’t know really know if he had a crush on Minho himself but for the time being he just wanted to spend time with the other.</p><p>“First one!”, Felix cheered when he entered the cafeteria closely followed by Jisung, who was panting heavily while the ginger didn’t even seem remotely out of breath. “Th-this is unfair”, the blue-haired warlock panted. Felix looked at him in confusion. “I didn’t have a head start like you. I won fair and square”, the cat hybrid declared proudly. </p><p>Jeongin, Seungmin and Hyunjin came running into the cafeteria and nearly crashed into Jisung and Felix. “Ha! Third”, Jeongin cheered with one of his bright smiles everybody got so used to seeing. </p><p>“What a tragedy. I am the last one”, Hyunjin said dramatically and leaned on Seungmin. “Nah. Jisung is the last one because he cheated”, the redhead retorted. Jisung wanted to say something to deny that after his panting had died down but he was interrupted by an oh so familiar, beautiful laugh. </p><p>“What are you five doing? Racing each other?”, Minho asked with an amused smile on his lips from behind Jisung. Jisung turned around to see Byungho, Chan, Minho and Changbin standing in the entrance of the cafeteria. “Basically and I won”, Felix answered with a bright smile. “Stop bragging already”, Jisung huffed and lightly hit the cat hybrid’s shoulder. </p><p>———————</p><p>The nine friends got their food and went to their usual table while having their usual light conversation. Seungmin loved the little talks they had on a daily base. Mainly because it was the perfect excuse to tease Jisung, make some sassy remarks to things Minho said or just laugh at something funny Felix did. </p><p>“I still don’t get why Mr. Yoo glared at me throughout our whole literature test, like I would cheat”, Minho complained when they reached their table and sat down. “Well maybe because you glared back”, Byungho answered dryly, which caused the younger ones of their group to laugh.</p><p>“Did you feel threatened by Mr. Yoo or were you too scared to look away?”, Seungmin remarked with a light smirk on his lips. Minho huffed and took a sip from his orange juice. “Neither is the case. I just found it annoying, so I returned the gesture”, the cat hybrid with the hazelnut brown hair replied after setting his drink down. Seungmin just raised an eyebrow. </p><p>“Did you even finish your test when you glared at Mr. Yoo the whole time?”, Felix asked while still lightly laughing. “Of course I did. What’s that for a question?” Minho huffed, looking at his brother, who was sitting next to him. </p><p>“I even finished before Changbin, our ace in literature”, the older cat hybrid added, looking at the vampire, who was sitting at the other end of the table with a smug grin. The short black-haired male narrowed his eyes at the older. </p><p>“Well, did you do the task on the other side?” he asked with an unbothered expression. Minho blinked in confusion. “What other side?”, the cat hybrid wanted to know and now the whole table was laughing, well except for the confused cat hybrid. </p><p>“There was an additional task on the other side of the third sheet. Mr. Yoo always puts one there to see who of the students is observant enough to get that”, Chan explained after the laughing had died down a little. “And nobody cared enough to tell me that?”, Minho questioned with an slightly offended look on his face, which made everybody laugh again. </p><p>“And I call you my friends”, Minho snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. This mocking, laughing and joking continued until Seungmin spotted Chantelle walking towards their table. He slightly elbowed Changbin, who sat beside him to get his attention. The black-haired vampire looked to the redhead, who slightly nodded his head in Chantelle’s direction. Changbin’s eyes fell onto the female noble vampire while his smile was already fading. This got the attention of the rest of the table, which resulted in them also spotting the female. </p><p>“Changbin we need to talk”, she said with a kind of demanding undertone when she was near the table. Seungmin lightly frowned at her tone but said nothing yet. After all he knew Chantelle wasn’t the politest person. She hung out with Ryan, no further explanation was needed.</p><p> “About what?”, Changbin asked in a rather annoyed tone. Seungmin could tell that he was already done with Chantelle and her demanding undertone. Why couldn’t the other vampires just leave Changbin alone? Was his position really that important to them?</p><p>“Something important came up, so we need to talk alone”, Chantelle said and send a glare towards Seungmin, who had to refer from just casting a quick spell over her to make her shut up and leave.</p><p>In the corner of his eye Seungmin noticed that he wasn’t the only one glaring at Chantelle. Minho looked pretty irritated too, which wasn’t really a surprise thinking back to his history with the vampire gang. It had been a surprise that he never had said something against Changbin when Seungmin brought him along for the first time.</p><p>“Will you let us alone when I talk to you for a short moment?”, Changbin asked. Chantelle nodded but Seungmin didn’t like the way she tried to hide a small smile. Changbin exhaled annoyed. </p><p>“I will be back”, he said to his friends and got up. Seungmin’s eyes where glued on Changbin’s back when he walked away with Chantelle. “Seungmin, don’t”, Jisung started but the redhead pretended like he didn’t hear him and got up fast to follow Changbin and Chantelle, who just left the cafeteria. “No, Seungmin”, Jisung yelled after him and immediately got up as well to follow the redhead.</p><p>——————————</p><p>Changbin followed Chantelle down the corridors to the more or less abandoned part of Miroh High. There were countless of storage rooms for the different special subjects of the school like spells and potions or transformation. Currently they were more or less empty due the big break.</p><p>The young vampire prince wasn’t nervous or scared even though this situation seemed a bit fishy. He knew for a fact that nothing would happen to him in anyway even if you wouldn’t really believe that when you saw the absolutely empty halls they just entered. </p><p>“Chantelle, where are we going?”, Changbin asked with an emotionless voice. “Somewhere where nobody can hear us talk”, Chantelle answered and walked towards one of the storage rooms. She opened the door without much difficulty and held it open for Changbin. Being used to this behavior he walked into the room first but he didn’t suspect the door to fall close without Chantelle entering. Changbin turned around in surprise when he heard the sound of the door being locked. Did she just lock him in here? Did she really underestimate his strength that much? </p><p>“We know that you can kick the door open but we wanted nobody to enter unasked, you know”, someone said. Changbin looked around and spotted Ryan coming out from behind one of the many shelves in this room. The brown-haired vampire seemed to have gotten his confidence from before the Jeongin incident back, that was what Changbin could tell by simply looking at how Ryan was walking towards him. </p><p>“You spend an awful lot of time with the redhead and his friends nowadays”, Ryan said and absentmindedly let his fingers trail over the shelf on his right. Changbin crossed his arms over his chest but said nothing. He didn’t feel the need to do so. </p><p>“Not talking to me? How rude. You know, we were puzzled why you became so attached to them so suddenly”, Ryan continued to talk while tracing the cravings that decorated the shelves. Changbin slowly had enough of Ryan’s pointless talking. He had never liked the other’s behavior but now he was close to get Changbin to snap at him.</p><p>“Say what you want to say, Ryan”, Changbin retorted with a voice that was so void of emotions it made someone shiver but still managed to sound annoyed. A smirk made its way onto Ryan’s lips. </p><p>“You may know how Kim Seungmin is sometimes called spawn of satan because he sometimes makes trouble, right? Did you ever consider how true it may be to call him like that? I mean he has magic powers some warlocks can only dream about. He is considered to be a genius and a one of a kind because everybody thinks he is a warlock but it is not true. Not in the slightest”, Ryan began talking with excitement in his voice. Changbin knew where this was going, which caused a slight crack in his cold facade. Did Ryan figure out Seungmin was a demon? Changbin knew for a fact that the redhead didn’t want anyone to know that and made sure no one did, so how the hell would Ryan know?</p><p>Ryan noticed the light crack in Changbin’s facade, which made his smirk only widen. “We researched a little bit on Kim Seungmin over the last weeks and I am sorry to break it to you but your new friend is an evil demon, a creature of pure darkness from no other place than hell”, the brown-haired vampire revealed with a wide grin on his face. He looked like he had just won something, letting Changbin clench his teeth. </p><p>“But we didn’t stop there with our research. All of Seungmin’s friends got at least one dirty secret. For example Lee Felix and Lee Minho were th-“, Ryan didn’t come any further before Changbin walked up to him and punched him hard into the chest, which caused the other vampire to smash into the wall behind him while some things from the shelves fell down and broke into thousand pieces. </p><p>Ryan coughed hard and tried to get up but failed miserably, dropping back onto the ground. “So that was it what you did all the time you weren’t swarming around me?”, Changbin asked in a tone as cold as ice. It made Ryan remember who Changbin really was, the goddamn prince of all vampires. </p><p>“So you and your companions had enough free time to dig up dirt and secrets on my friends? And why exactly? Because you hoped I would just ditch them and come back to you and your little court just because of their past or because of what they are?”, Changbin’s voice boomed through the room. It would even make an werewolf alpha cower in fear. </p><p>Ryan pressed his back against the wall while Changbin walked over to him painfully slow. The fear the normally arrogant vampire with the brown hair felt was written all over his face. At this very moment he looked like he was fearing for his life while being unable to fight or run.</p><p>Changbin crouched down before Ryan when he was close enough to look the other into his eyes. The red tint in the vampire prince’s eyes was glowing with such an intensity that Ryan questioned if Seungmin was the only demon in this school. </p><p>“I will give you an nice advice and-“, Changbin was cut off by a scream from outside of the room. He whipped around his head. Wait, was that Jisung?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Hot as hell but not in a good way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin and Jisung follow Changbin and the other vampire only to be confronted with a scary truth.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Keeping up with Seungmin was something Jisung was used to but it never got easier after time. No, the redhead was faster than you would expect a demon, who runs on two legs to be but </p><p>Jisung was determined to not let the redhead get away because ever since he saw Minho glaring at Chantelle he was convinced that he had misinterpreted his vision. The part were Seungmin would go mad would probably happen soon and Jisung had to prevent it at all costs in order to protect his best friend’s secret.  </p><p>And at this point an advise, if you ever try to follow someone you shouldn’t only keep an eye on the person, no you should also focus your mind on following the person because if you don’t you might accidentally run into the person you are following, like Jisung at this moment. </p><p>The blue-haired male bumped into his best friend and wanted to let out a scared shriek but in a flash Seungmin turned around and clapped his hand over the warlock’s mouth to muffle his shriek. “Be quiet”, the redhead hissed low. Jisung nodded and Seungmin slowly took his hand off the other’s mouth. He turned his back to his friend again to carefully look around the corner they stood at. </p><p>Jisung just realized now that they were in the more or less abandoned part of Miroh High. Wow, he really just followed Seungmin’s mop of red hair without thinking at all. He should learn to stop dreaming and stay focus in situations like this one. </p><p>The warlock made himself small so he could look around the corner from under Seungmin’s head.  Now, Jisung saw the same as Seungmin, five vampires stood in front of one door, one of them was Chantelle but Changbin was nowhere to be seen. Didn’t she want to talk with Changbin? When the vampires looked into their direction because they checked their surroundings again like they were hiding something, the two friends immediately hide behind the corner again. </p><p>“Where the hell is Changbin?”, Jisung whispered to his friend. “I don’t know but when he is missing only one hair I will send them all to hell without hesitation”, Seungmin answered in a whisper while glancing around the corner again. “You know, it’s a lot scary to hear that from you now, considering you can actually do that”, Jisung responded quietly. </p><p>Seungmin just let out a little huff and observed the five vampires and the current surrounding, like he was planing something.</p><p>“We need to get into that room”, Seungmin stated in a whisper. Jisung looked up to him like he was mad. “They are freaking guarding that door like a bunch of watchdogs. How do you think we will do that?”, the warlock responded with a low voice. </p><p>The redhead looked into his friend’s eyes. “We will pull a prank on them to get them to leave their position”, Seungmin whispered with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Please don’t do that. It’s a terrible idea”, Jisung pleaded quietly. </p><p>The redhead didn’t listen to his pleading friend and in the end Jisung had to help him anyway. Their plan was made up in seconds and started even faster. </p><p>Seungmin opened another storage room door with a quick spell as well as Jisung. The vampires flinched at the sudden opening of two doors. Jisung and Seungmin made some things in the storage rooms fall to the ground, so the vampires would be coaxed to look into the rooms. Luckily for Jisung and Seungmin the vampires fell for their little trick.  </p><p>Chantelle send two vampires for each room, which was just perfect for Seungmin and Jisung’s little plan. As soon as the vampires were in the rooms to inspect what happened there Jisung and Seungmin closed and locked the doors behind them with magic. Leaving the vampires locked up in the rooms but Jisung knew it wouldn’t last long, considering a vampire’s strength. So they had to get into the room the vampires were guarding as fast as they could.</p><p>“Let’s take down Chantelle and storm that room”, Seungmin said. The glint in his eyes told JIsung that he was already having a spell in mind to get Chantelle out of the way. Jisung hesitated while the redhead walked out of their little hiding spot confidently. </p><p>“Seungmin...”, Chantelle trailed off but she couldn’t say anything more because Seungmin already casted his spells, which was the sticking spell he had in mind. It was a harmless spell that would push Chantelle against a wall so she couldn’t really move anymore. </p><p>Seungmin had a smudge look on his face and wanted to walk to the door. Jisung quickly got up, leaving his hiding spot to follow his best friend. He needed to make sure Seungmin wouldn’t go mad, revealing his true species to the vampires. </p><p>“Don’t you dare entered that room, demon”, Chantelle growled, which made Seungmin halt in his motion to grab the door handle and look at the female that was stuck to the wall. Jisung froze behind Seungmin, looking over to Chantelle, who looked at Seungmin with pure hatred in her eyes. </p><p>“Don’t even try to deny it. I know you are one, Kim Seungmin. You somehow managed to crawl out of the depths of hell. Your whole family probably consist of wicked demons but you try to hide that don’t you”, Chantelle continued, now feeling like she had the upper hand because Seungmin stopped his previous action. </p><p>Jisung felt like someone had knocked the breath out of his lungs. How did the vampires know that Seungmin was a demon? The redhead had kept this secret so well not even Jisung had known about it until recently. And why would Chantelle drag the whole Kim family into this? Did she want to trigger something in Seungmin?</p><p>Jisung quickly banned these thoughts and focused on Seungmin. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to go mad because of Chantelle. He shouldn’t listen to one word she said. </p><p>“Seungmin don’t -”, the warlock tried to say to the redhead to prevent his vision from coming true but the door of the the two storage rooms with the other four vampires were smashed open, which cut the warlock short. They looked very pissed but halted when they saw Seungmin standing there, keeping a certain distance. </p><p>“Get away from Chantelle, hellish beast”, a tall male vampire growled, looking at Seungmin with pure hate in his eyes. Jisung didn’t understand why the vampire were so filled with hatred towards Seungmin just because he was a demon. Shouldn’t they be more afraid? </p><p>“Listen here Kim Seungmin. I know you have somehow bewitched Changbin, so he would stay with you. Your little friends and you should stay far away from him. He doesn’t need to have a creature of hell around him”, Chantelle spat and Jisung had to keep himself together to not slap her. He needed to focus on Seungmin and let him stay calm.  </p><p>“Seungmin just don’t listen to them”, Jisung tried again and laid his hand on his best friend’s shoulder only to flinch back immediately because Seungmin was literally hot like a flame. </p><p>The redhead suddenly took some steps backwards, away from the door to the wall behind him like he was giving up on trying to get into the room the vampires guarded. “You are giving up, Seungmin? Are you that shocked we found you out? Or do you see that no one would want to be around a filthy, evil demon from hell voluntarily?” Chantelle spat, which made Seungmin slightly flinch. </p><p>The point was reached were JIsung couldn’t take it anymore. “That’s enough”, Jisung yelled through the hall, making the vampires painfully aware of his presence. He had enough of this. He didn’t care if the redhead was a creature of hell or not and he never will. The redhead was still Seungmin and Seungmin was his best friend since middle school and the person he learned to trust and laugh with after he thought the whole world was against him. </p><p>“You all don’t know Seungmin. It doesn’t matter if he is a demon or a creature of hell. He is still the person he has always been. You aren’t judged by your blood and family name either, or are you?”, the warlock yelled into Chantelle’s face but he was talking to all the vampires, who were present. </p><p>“And now stop picking on him or I will curse all you of you for eternity even if it costs me my damn life”, the blue-haired male threatened, looking around to meet every vampires’ eyes. </p><p>All of them looked terrified but not because of Jisung. No, they were terrified of the thing that stood not far behind him, leaning on the wall for support so it wouldn’t break down. The warlock turned around to see his best friend, glowing with a red aura surrounding him. There was a panicked glimmer in the redhead’s eyes and that he was probably this close to a sort of anxiety attack. </p><p>“Seungmin?”, Jisung asked in a soft voice in order not to startle the demon, who seemed completely locked up in his own head, his own thoughts. Seungmin didn’t react but Jisung noticed how his breathing was a little too quick for it to be healthy and that some tears were running down the demon’s cheeks.</p><p>Then the warlock handled more on instinct than with logic because he went to Seungmin and just hugged him or at least tried because as soon as the warlock came into contact with the redhead he let out a scream and jumped back. </p><p>Seungmin was way too hot to touch but not in the charming, good way, no literally. </p><p>———————————</p><p>After hearing Jisung scream, Changbin didn’t even hesitate to run to the door of the storage room and kick it down with one strong kick. Ryan was long forgotten at this point. </p><p>The sight Changbin was met with wasn’t the one he was expecting but that didn’t mean it was better because the first thing he saw was Seungmin leaning onto the wall while being surrounded by a red aura with tears running down his cheeks and looking everything but not good. Next thing Changbin registered was Jisung, who looked at him in shock and a little in pain but not because of him. </p><p>The short male ignored the rest of the vampires and went straight to Seungmin. “Wait, don’t touch him”, Jisung suddenly yelled and held the vampire’s arm, which also made Changbin look at him but he already noticed why the warlock with the blue hair stopped him. The aura surrounding Seungmin was radiating a certain heat. It almost seemed like a defense mechanism. </p><p>“What happened?”, this questioned slipped out of Changbin’s mouth while he turned his attention back to the redhead not so far away from him but he had already an possible answer in his head. If the vampire gang really provoked Seungmin to the point where this happened he would kill them for sure. </p><p>Jisung didn’t answer Changbin’s question because he was too focused on Seungmin but then he ripped his gaze away from his best friend and looked at Changbin. </p><p>“I need you to get Byungho-hyung, now. I will try talking to Seungmin in the meantime, maybe that will do something”, the warlock suggested. Changbin nodded and wanted to not lose anymore time and start running in his supernatural speed but he didn’t need to because Byungho was already running around the corner with the rest of the group. The vampires except Ryan and Chantelle, who was still stuck to a wall, were long gone by now. </p><p>Byungho ran to Seungmin as soon as he saw the state he was in. “What the hell happened?”, the oldest asked while eying his younger brother. “Chantelle and her friends happened”, Jisung said, glaring back at Chantelle for a short moment. </p><p>Changbin looked back at Chantelle, who was stuck to the wall. She wanted to open her mouth to say something but closed it again after meeting Changbin’s gaze. Today was the day Changbin was done with Chantelle. After today he wouldn’t even spare her a glance and may the gods have mercy on her if she ever wanted to work at the vampire palace because Changbin wouldn’t let that happen for sure. </p><p>Byungho walked a step closer to Seungmin but was yanked back by Jisung. “Hyung don’t. You will hurt yourself”, the warlock warned, letting Changbin’s attention snap to Byungho and the warlock. Byungho shook his head and showed the other a little smile. </p><p>“Nothing will happen to me, don’t worry”, the brunette said, gently taking Jisung’s had off his arm.   The warlock still seemed worried but Minho was quick to be by his side, laying his hand on the other’s shoulder in a comforting manner. </p><p>Byungho walked towards Seungmin without fear and sat down in front of him. Changbin was sure the other could feel the extreme heat radiating from Seungmin’s strange red aura. For a short moment Changbin swore he saw Seungmin’s horns but the image was gone in the blink of an eye.</p><p>Byungho laid his hand on Seungmin’s forehead, ignoring the extreme heat that would surely burn off the skin of a “normal” creature. The heat surrounding Seungmin was gone when Byungho’s palm glowed white for a brief second. Then the demon dropped to the ground, clasping his hands over his ears like he wanted to block out some kind of sound desperately and burying his face in his knees while Byungho tried to stay up right probably having used an extensive amount of magic energy just now. </p><p>The rest quickly recovered from their previous shock state and dashed to the two Kim brothers. Chan was quicker than anyone at Byungho’s side to inspect the older’s palm and hold him upright while Jisung was the first at Seungmin’s side because he technically already was there beforehand and the second being Changbin because of a reasoned didn’t know himself. </p><p>Jisung had immediately hugged his best friend’s small form from the side in hopes of bringing the redhead out of his panicked state while Changbin gently rubbed his hand up and down on Seungmin’s other side while speaking to him in such a soft voice that some couldn’t believe it was the vampire dressed in all black talking but it still made Seungmin calm his breathing a little. </p><p>Changbin hated to see Seungmin like this. Ever since getting to know the other Seungmin always seemed like this intelligent, headstrong and skilled person, who knew what he was doing. Now Changbin realized that maybe Seungmin was caring around more than he originally thought and that his secret did weigh him down a lot. </p><p>When Hyunjin kneeled before the redhead, Changbin glanced at the siren from the corner of his eye. The tall male with the black hair simply looked at his red-haired friend and started to hum. It was a very soothing sound and sounded like a kind of lullaby. Seungmin seemed to hear it despite having his hands tightly clasped over his ears. </p><p>Changbin could feel Seungmin ease up a little under his touch. He was slowly becoming less tense, meaning he was claiming down.  </p><p>In the end Jisung’s hug, Changbin’s gentle touch as well as Hyunjin’s humming let the redhead slowly come back to reality and out of the grip his thoughts had him in. He slumped into Jisung’s embrace after some moments. The demon was just too tired to do anything, to say anything, maybe even too tired to think anything. </p><p>Hyunjin leaned forward without stopping to hum and gently put his fingers around Seungmin’s wrists to finally get the redhead to put his hands away from his ears. The redhead let the siren lead his hands away from his ears but Hyunjin didn’t let the redhead’s hands just fall to his side or put them on his knees or something like that, no, he held them gently and even managed to intertwine his long, ringed fingers with the redhead’s slightly shorter ones. </p><p>————————</p><p>And what did the rest do you might ask? Well, Chan was taking care of an energy drained Byungho while Jeongin, Felix and Minho were glaring the hell out of Chantelle. Jeongin even used a spell that made the female vampire unable to speak for now so she wouldn’t disturb anyone. Ryan, who tried to sneak out of the storage room by the way, was caught by Minho and Felix and was now sticking to the wall with Chantelle while also being unable to speak. </p><p>“I will kill them later today”, Jeongin growled low after Seungmin was half asleep in Jisung’s arms while staring right at Ryan and Chantelle who were scared for their life once more because an angry kitsune was as scary as a demon, maybe even a little more given the current circumstances. </p><p>Yes, a lot of things were still unexplained but that didn’t mean that Jeongin would spare the two, who obviously had something to do with the state Seungmin was in. </p><p>Byungho didn’t even think about lecturing Jeongin about threading others because right now every punishment for the vampires seemed fair to him. They hurt his little brother and almost made him reveal himself as a demon against his will. He was glad that he was able to help Seungmin fight against revealing his true self and cancel out the demonic energy, which had surrounded him in the form an red aura and heat. </p><p>“Are you feeling dizzy or tired?”, Chan’s voice was heard from beside Byungho. The wolf hybrid had helped Byungho settle down onto the floor near a wall he could lean on a while ago because the silver-haired male had been sure that the older’s legs would have given out at some point and he wanted to prevent that from happening. </p><p>“I am fine, don’t worry”, Byungho answered and smiled weakly, which did really convince the male beside him. Chan looked worried and Byungho really appreciated that but by his normal standards he really was fine, just a little tired from using so much angelic power, which he hoped nobody registered as such. </p><p>All of them didn’t know how long they stayed in that corridor because nobody cared to count the ringing of the bell or look at the time on their phone but it must have been long enough to get someone worried because two teachers came looking for them. </p><p>Mr. Sohn also called Shownu by most students, their maths teacher and Mr. Lee or Minhyuk the spells and potions teacher of Miroh High came walking around the corner, looking a bit concerned but a relief washed over them when they saw their missing students.</p><p>Bless Jeongin and his quick reaction because he quickly freed Chantelle and Ryan from the two spells they were under, so they wouldn’t look like the victims of something but he gave them a looked that meant “If you make one wrong move I will rip you apart” as a warning, which Byungho somehow thought was funny but he would never say it out loud. </p><p>—————————</p><p>The two teachers were immediately concerned when they saw Seungmin and Byungho, so out of energy. They send Chan with Byungho and Jisung with Seungmin straight to the nurse. Minhyuk accompanied the four teenagers while he left it to Shownu - or Hyungwoo-hyung like Minhyuk called him - to asked the other students what happened. </p><p>And in all honesty it was very hard to lie to Shownu, so Jeongin and Changbin explained the situation. The word demon never fell, which was a relief to Byungho despite knowing that Changbin was aware of Seungmin being a demon. </p><p>Changbin was the one, who more or less forced Chantelle and Ryan to say that they were at fault and messed up by simply glaring at them for a brief second. Maybe Jeongin also helped with the intimating glaring part. Shownu seemed to believe them and if he didn’t he said nothing about it. The tall man simply nodded with an unreadable expression after each input he got to hear. </p><p>“Chantelle and Ryan I want you to get your friends, who were involved in this and go to the headmaster’s office”, he said to the two vampires, who nodded and took off faster than you would expect. “The rest of you returns to their classrooms”, he added, looking at Hyunjin, Changbin, Felix, Minho and Jeongin. </p><p>Changbin looked ready to argue on that but Shownu beat them to it. “But you are also allowed to look after your friends”, he ended with a tiny smile on his lips. “Thanks, Mr. Sohn”, the five teenagers said in union before sprinting off to the nurse office.</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Dummy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin and Byungho recover and the rest of the groups plans a movie afternoon to celebrate.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jisung sat on the chair next to the bed Seungmin laid in. The redhead was curled up in a blanket even though his temperature had gone through the roof not long ago. </p><p>The warlock let out a little sigh and looked at his lap again. He was glad that Seungmin was okay now but he felt like he had failed the other despite having somehow managed to prevent his vision from happening. In the background Jisung could faintly hear Byungho explaining for the hundredth time in twenty minutes that he was just a little tired. He had given up on saying “I am fine” because neither Chan nor Shiela, the nurse, really believed him. </p><p>Shiela had scanned Byungho and Seungmin shortly after Chan and Jisung had brought them into the nurse office with Minhyuk. The nurse was a bit surprised after the scan and diagnosed both Kim brothers with an great loss of magical energy, which they shouldn’t take lightly but she hadn’t asked what happened. Minhyuk had excused himself after the diagnose. He had a neutral expression on his face but everybody in the room knew that Minhyuk was going to tear strips off Ryan, Chantelle and their friends. Maybe he would even transform them into little snails, who knows. </p><p>Byungho, Chan and Shiela weren’t that far away from Jisung but the warlock was so focused on worrying about his redheaded friends he barely registered what they were talking about. A guilty feeling ate away at him despite it being entirely illogical and he knew that. He did his best to protect his best friend and prevent his vision from coming true but in the end he didn’t do much. Byungho managed to deactivate the red aura, which had surrounded Seungmin, so they were able to reach the redhead and Hyunjin was the one, who calmed him down with his humming. </p><p>The warlock continued to have this sort of thoughts while staring at his lap but then he heard multiple loud voices, making him finally look up and turn his head around. His gaze landed on his group of friends, who stumbled into the nurse office not so gracefully and definitely not quiet. </p><p>Jisung saw how Shiela stalked over to them, looking not very pleased. “To the gods above be quiet. All five of you”, Shiela hissed at them and they shut up immediately because the female warlock may be a beauty but she most certainly was scary when she was angry. They quietly apologized for being so noisy and calmed down a little bit. Changbin and Hyunjin came over to Seungmin’s bed pretty fast after that.</p><p>“How is he doing?”, the vampire asked in a soft, quiet voice, with his eyes focused on Seungmin’s curled up form. Jisung looked back to his best friend. He couldn’t even imagine what Seungmin went through today or that it was even possible for him to lose his cool quite literally. </p><p>Shiela approached the bed of Seungmin, looking at the redhead with a bit of sympathy in her eyes. “The immense magical energy loss is taking a toll on him but nothing what a good night or afternoon of sleep can’t fix but he should avoid using magic in the next two days just to be sure”, the nurse explained to which Changbin nodded. </p><p>“Same goes for Mr. “I am fine” over there”, Shiela added while looking over to Byungho, who was resting on the bed next to Seungmin’s. He avoided looking the nurse into the eyes. Jisung had to refer from chuckling, knowing that the nurse probably wouldn’t let this pass any time soon. </p><p>The group stayed a little with Seungmin and Byungho but Shiela was at some point fed up with the constant whispering, which sometimes became a little too loud, so she shushed them back to their classes without Seungmin and Byungho. The classes were mostly boring because they just watched movies as a celebration for the exams and tests being over for this year. </p><p>After all their classes the group met up at the nurse office again to see if Byungho and Seungmin were able to go already. Of course they brought the Kim brothers’ stuff along, so the two brothers wouldn’t need to get themselves from their classrooms. </p><p>When they entered the office Shiela wasn’t there anymore but a familiar redhead sat on bed he had previously slept in with Byungho sitting by his side.</p><p>“Seungminnie, you are awake”, Hyunjin immediately said and ran over to his red-haired friend to hug him without even the slightest bit of hesitation. “Told you”, said Byungho, obviously talking to his brother while warmly smiling. </p><p>Seungmin buried his face in Hyunjin’s shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around the siren’s torso like he was afraid the black-haired male would disappear if he let go. Hyunjin had seemingly nothing against that and began to gently stroke the redhead’s back. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>The rest of the group stood scattered around the bed. Jisung and Changbin sat down at the end of the mattress, quietly waiting for Seungmin to say something. Changbin knew that he and Byungho were the only ones that were aware of Seungmin being a demon. Maybe Jisung knew too because he was Seungmin’s best friend had knew him the longest as far as Changbin was aware but he wasn’t entirely sure. Changbin had never asked Seungmin, who knew about him being demon, only that it was his well kept secret. </p><p>Changbin had made it clear to Ryan and Chantelle throughout their last few lessons where they only watched movies or had free periods that if they would tell anyone about anything they knew from their research on his friends he would make their life a living hell. There was just no way he would let them harm his friends in any way, especially Seungmin. </p><p>After all Changbin was sure Seungmin had a good reason to be this careful with revealing his true species to other. Beside the young vampire knew that Wonpil was keeping his species a secret due the fact that demons were seen as mythical but evil creatures, giving them a very bad reputation, which could easily inflict fear into anyone, who didn’t truly understand a demon’s nature. </p><p>Thinking about Wonpil being a demon just like his younger brother made the vampire remember something else, which had never crossed his mind until now. Wonpil and Seungmin were full blood demons but what about the rest of their brothers. As far as Changbin knew from Wonpil the Kim family had four sons, which recently became five due Samuel, joining the family at the beginning of the school year. Wonpil did mention that his family was very complicated and he only shared both of his parents with Seungmin but there was a possibility of Byungho being a demon as well. It would explain why Byungho was able to deal with the red aura and heat Seungmin had been surrounded with but to be frank Byungho didn’t seem like a demon at all.</p><p>When that thought crossed the vampire’s mind he couldn’t help but look at the oldest member of his little friend group. A lot more questions flooded the black-haired vampire’s mind. Which species did Byungho really belong to? He remembered someone once telling him that the older was a warlock but that was the same thing everyone assumed Seungmin was too, therefore it could be a mistake.</p><p>Changbin was ripped out of his thoughts when he heard someone sniffle. The vampire’s head instinctively turned towards the sound. It came from Seungmin, who still had his face buried in Hyunjin’s shoulder. </p><p>The vampire stood up and walked over to the two hugging males purely on instinct, which was strange somehow because vampires didn’t really have an inherent protective instinct like most kinds of hybrids and werewolves. Maybe it was because it was Seungmin, someone Changbin wanted to protect for some reason but failed miserably today. </p><p>Changbin stood there besides Hyunjin and Seungmin, not really knowing what to do to help the redhead. He felt powerless as well as useless, that was until Hyunjin took his right hand off of Seungmin’s back to gently tuck at the vampire’s sleeve. Changbin shifted his attention from Seungmin to the siren, who looked up at him while holding Seungmin. </p><p>The siren lightly smiled at Changbin but then turned his attention back to the redhead, who was clinging onto him. He whispered something into Seungmin’s ear. Nobody except the redhead was able to understand what Hyunjin was whispering, not even the ones with the excellent ears. </p><p>Whatever Hyunjin said to the redhead, it made Seungmin hug the siren less tight. Not in a bad way though. Just enough so the siren just get out of his hold if he wanted to do so.</p><p>The siren patted the younger’s back and showed a smile again, even though Seungmin couldn’t see it. Hyunjin then slipped out of Seungmin’s hold but pulled Changbin into it perfectly in one smooth motion. </p><p>Changbin was a little surprised at how elegantly and fast Hyunjin did that but his attention was focused at the redhead in front of him, who let his head hang low, so you couldn’t see his face. His arms had fallen to his sides but he had stopped sniffling and was quiet now but Changbin could somehow tell, that the redhead still had tears in his eyes. </p><p>The vampire carefully raised his hands and put them on Seungmin’s cheeks to lift the younger’s face, so he could look into the redhead’s eyes. Changbin was right, Seungmin had some tears in his dark eyes. </p><p>“You got no reason to cry, dummy”, the vampire said in a soft tone while slightly rubbing his thumbs over the younger male’s cheekbones. Seungmin slightly sniffled, seemingly fighting against his own tears. </p><p>“If I am a dummy, you are an absolute moron”, the redhead replied with a light voice crack but he still managed to put some bite into his words. It made Changbin lightly smile. The redhead hadn’t lost his slightly provoking nature and most certainly not his sassiness. </p><p>“Well, that’s just rude. As far as I am aware I passed all my tests and exams with fairly good grades therefore I can’t be a moron”, Changbin answered while taking his hands away from Seungmin’s face so he could cross his arms over his chest and pretend to be mad but his little smile blew that plan up before it even came into action. </p><p>“Good grades don’t make you intelligent, the craving for knowledge does. Meaning you still are a moron”, the redhead stated with a little sass, slowly showing a grin. “Brat” Changbin huffed and looked away from him while pouting like a child. This made Seungmin even laugh lightly and whip away the last bit of his tears with the sleeves of his sweater, which relived his group of friends. </p><p>“You know what? I just decided we will go to our house now to celebrate that the tests and exams are over for this year”, Felix suddenly suggested, gaining the attention of all his friends. He was clinging onto Minho’s arm which wasn’t a surprise to anyone. </p><p>“Sounds like a good idea to me”, Hyunjin answered from his place on the bed beside Changbin with a bright smile on his face. “Are you all in?”, the ginger then asked the rest of the group. “What a question. Of course we are”, Jeongin said and playfully rolled his eyes, which made the rest slightly laugh. </p><p>“Are you up for it, Seungmin?”, Felix then asked the redhead directly. “If you want me to, sure”, Seungmin answered trying to hide that little bit of insecurity by hiding his hands in his sleeves and not directly looking at Felix. Changbin wanted to say that there was nothing he had to fear but Felix beat him to it. </p><p>“Why wouldn’t we?”, he simply asked, tilting his head a bit to the side. He let go of Minho, walked over to Seungmin and Changbin, just so he could hold his hand out for Seungmin to grab. “Let’s go”, he said with that wide sun-like smile on his face. Seungmin’s eyes shimmered for a moment, letting Changbin fear he would cry again but luckily he didn’t. Seungmin took Felix hand and let the cat hybrid pull up from the bed into a standing position. </p><p>“Whose at the gates last gets turned into a snail”, the freckled male yelled and started to run while dragging Seungmin along. Changbin huffed in light amusement. He should have seen that coming but well Felix really wasn’t smart if he wanted to race a vampire.</p><p>With one quick move Changbin grabbed Seungmin’s stuff, stood up and was out of the door, chasing after Felix and Seungmin ahead of the others. </p><p>—————————</p><p>“Good thing you didn’t even try to run after them”, Chan said while looking at Byungho who calmly got up from the bed while chuckling. Their younger friends had taken off, racing each other to the school gate. Hopefully they would think about putting on their coats, so they wouldn’t catch a cold. </p><p>“Why because you would have stopped me?”, Byungho questioned and put on his boots again. “Yeah. You shouldn’t run around after draining yourself”, the silver-haired male answered and handed Byungho his coat automatically when they started to walk beside each other. The brown-haired male took it without even looking at the action. </p><p>Chan and Byungho worked together like they have known each other for all their life and for the most Chan did have the feeling they had known each other all their life. It could be a mate thing though, which tricked the wolf hybrid into believing that. </p><p>“I am glad Changbin took Seungmin’s stuff because I think Felix wouldn’t have noticed that Seungmin didn’t have a coat on, unlike him.”, Byungho stated, which made Chan laugh slightly. “Probably. He may be a little sunshine but sometimes he forgets things in his excitement”, the wolf hybrid agreed. </p><p>The two continued their walk down the empty corridors of Miroh High quietly. They didn’t need to talk all the time. The presence of the other was sometimes enough. Maybe that was even one of the reasons why Chan began crushing on Byungho. He just had a soothing presence and a calm aura that made you feel at ease. Byungho in general seemed ethereal to Chan. He was so kind, caring, loving, funny, sweet and pure at heart. His voice was exactly how Chan imagined angels to sound like. Calming, soothing, clear, gentle and overall just beautiful.</p><p>“Channie?”, the wolf hybrid was ripped out of his thoughts by the beautiful, angelic voice he just began to describe in his head. Chan looked over to the brunette, blinking a bit in confusion. Byungho looked at his friend with worry glimmering in his eyes. Chan felt his heart beat a bit faster, seeing the other being concerned about him. Wait, that was weird, wasn’t it?</p><p>Chan shook his head and looked straight ahead. “I am fine, don’t worry”, he stated with a little higher voice because his face slowly began to heat up without his control. He didn’t get better when he heard Byungho giggle cutely. </p><p>“Is it now my turn to not believe your “I am fine”?”, the older questioned with a teasing voice. “No, just believe me”, the hybrid answered and walked a little faster. Byungho just giggled again and followed his friend.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Movie afternoon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung and Minho having a moment but then being interrupted for the sake of watching a movie.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The group of friends arrived at the Lee’s house in a very good mood, mainly because of Felix and Jisung being their hyperactive, funny selves and Minho being his weird but adorable self. The rest also made their fair share of little jokes and funny conversation, even though Jeongin was more of a sassy commentator, who picked on Changbin most of the time. </p><p>“We should watch a Marvel movie”, Jisung suggested after the group of friends entered the house and took off their coats and shoes. “But those are so boring and predictable”, Jeongin whined while Hyunjin was tousling through his blond hair to get the snow out. </p><p>“Marvel Movies aren’t boring, you heathen”, Felix protested literally taking Jisung’s side, by standing beside the warlock. “But they are predictable and all have the same kind of structure. You know the good guys will always win no matter how strong the villain is”, Jeongin argued and crossed his arms over his chest. Felix and Jisung opened their mouths to say something against that statement but closed it again, obviously not being able to say something against Jeongin’s argument, which made the rest laugh. </p><p>“How about Jurassic World then?”, Chan took his turn to make a suggestion. Jeongin’s eyes immediately lit up at that suggestion. Everybody thought he liked this idea but the kitsune only wanted to know who would be scared at some points in the movie. Nobody seemed to have anything against watching Jurassic World but the answer wasn’t really clear.</p><p>“Has anyone anything against Chan’s suggestion?”, Byungho wanted to clarify the decision. Everybody agreed on it since there really was no reason to say no.</p><p>“You can make everything ready for the movie. Jisung and I will be back in a minute”, Minho suddenly announced, when everybody settled themselves in the living room. The cat hybrid just grabbed the warlock’s hand and dragged him along while the rest guessed the cat hybrid wanted to once again make Jisung wear his cloths. </p><p>“Hyung, where are we going?“, Jisung asked, now walking behind Minho when they went upstairs. The blue-haired male ignored the warm feeling he got whenever Minho held his hand. “My room. Where did you think?”, the older asked clearly amused and obliviously with a grin. Jisung slightly blushed and just said nothing.</p><p>When they entered Minho’s room Jisung felt at ease, like he always did, when he entered the cat hybrid’s room. The older’s room just felt so warm, comfy and homey to the blue-haired male. He couldn’t even properly explain why. </p><p>Minho let go Jisung’s hand, which the younger didn’t like because it was so suddenly but he didn’t show it for the sake of not getting tease by the cat hybrid. The older male closed the door, went to his closet and opened it, seemingly searching something, which was a bit odd considering the last time Minho made Jisung wear his cloths he didn’t take so long. </p><p>Jisung just followed the older’s movements with his eyes and noticed how happily his light brown cat tail was swaying from one side to the other. It reminded Jisung of a playful cat and it looked almost cute. Almost, because in general Jisung would describe Minho as absolutely handsome, comparable to a god, undeniably beautiful and occasionally hot. </p><p>“Got it”, the cat hybrid cheered, which ripped Jisung out of his little daze. The warlock blinked in confusion when Minho turned around having a dark blue hoodie in his hands. He then recognized it as the same hoodie Minho gave to him when he first visited the Lee’s house. The warlock had given the hoodie back months ago along with the sweatpants he had borrowed. </p><p>The cat hybrid gave Jisung the hoodie. “Wear it”, he simply said. “Why did you search for this hoodie specifically?” the warlock asked a little bit confused because he didn’t understand why Minho wanted him to wear the dark blue hoodie again. “Because you look the cutest in it and it matches your hair perfectly”, Minho stated without the slightest bit of hesitation or embarrassment or anything similar. </p><p>Jisung couldn’t help but slightly blush at that statement. Damn Lee Minho and his straightforwardness sometimes but the warlock would have wore the hoodie anyway. He liked it after all. </p><p>The younger got changed in the bathroom, attached to Minho’s room. Jisung had to admit that he really liked Minho’s dark blue hoodie, especially because it was comfy, it looked better than his yellow sweater and Minho was right when he said that it matched his hair perfectly but the reason Jisung loved to wear Minho’s cloths over all was the fact that their scent reminded him of the cat hybrid with the light brown hair. In a way it was very comforting. </p><p>The warlock already admitted to himself that he had a kind of crush on the older but he still wasn’t sure, maybe he just misinterpreted some of the feelings he had whenever Minho was around. </p><p>Crushes are sometimes more confusing than the most difficult spells... or math. </p><p>Jisung shook his head to get back to reality. Why was he always drifting off so much? The warlock got out of the bathroom and saw Minho sitting on his bed, looking directly at him. </p><p>“Well, you sure took your time to get changed”, the older stated with a neutral expression. “Beauty takes it’s time”, was the only comeback Jisung had in mind right now. It didn’t really fit but the warlock said it anyway. </p><p>Minho smirked at that. “Or you just couldn’t stop looking at yourself while wearing my dark blue hoodie”, the older said, the smirk never leaving his face and in all honesty Minho kind of looked like a cat, who was ready to play. </p><p>“That sounds strange”, Jisung responded and threw his yellow sweater at the older, who easily caught it. This was one of the moments were Jisung really cursed at the older’s cat reflexes. You could never hit him with something like a sweater or pillow without him catching it. Well, unless you were really lucky but up until now Jisung didn’t have that kind of luck. </p><p>“You didn’t deny it”, Minho teased and put Jisung’s yellow sweater beside him. “I just took my time. That’s all”, the warlock said, crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from the cat hybrid, pretending like he was mad to make the older feel a little bad for teasing him, which normally didn’t really work but he still tried. </p><p>He didn’t really reach his goal though, because Minho had stood up soundlessly, walked up to the younger and casually slithered his arms around Jisung’s small waist from behind like it was nothing. To top that he even laid his head on the warlock’s shoulder. </p><p>The blue-haired male at first kind of froze because he didn’t suspect that to happen but felt entirely at ease five seconds later despite his heart drumming against his rib cage. He liked to have Minho close because it made him feel warm even though his heart would speed up.   </p><p>“Are you pretending to be mad to make me feel bad, Hannie?”, the cat hybrid asked with a little bit of a whine in his voice while slightly swaying the both of them. </p><p>Jisung couldn’t recall when Minho started to call him “Hannie” but he somehow liked this nickname. But only if Minho used it. </p><p>“You teased me. I wanted to do a payback but you ruined my master plan by hugging me”, the warlock responded and laid his head back to it rested on Minho’s shoulder. Jisung could literally feel the cat hybrid giggling and it made his heart speed up a little more even though it was already beating fast enough. </p><p>The two didn’t say anything after that. They stayed in their position and Minho continued to slight sway them. This was just comfortable and perfect to the both of them.</p><p>————————————</p><p>“Felix. Go, get your brother and Jisung. I want to start watching the movie. It’s been twenty minutes since they decided to “come back in a minute” ”, Jeongin quoted Minho’s words in a complaining tone.</p><p>“Wait, it has been twenty minutes already?”, Felix asked and looked to Jeongin, who sat on the couch. Felix hadn’t realized that they had been gone for that long since he was a little distracted right now. </p><p>Suddenly the ginger’s hand was pushed down by Chan, who was laying opposite of Felix. “I won”, the wolf hybrid cheered while Felix had snapped his head back to the wolf hybrid. The cat hybrid whined because he lost. </p><p>To explain the current situation. Shortly after Felix had set up the movie and brought bean bags from the basement, the friends started armwrestling to kill a bit of time. They were so caught up in that they didn’t notice how fast time passed, except for Jeongin who really wanted to watch Jurassic World to see, who would be scared. His current bet was on Jisung. </p><p>“Now I am asking myself what they have been doing this whole time”, Seungmin mumbled from beside Changbin, which made the vampire lightly chuckle. “Alright I will get them. Hyunjin would you be so kind and get off me?”, Felix asked the siren, who sat on his back because of the armwrestling. The black-haired male hummed and got off the cat hybrid’s back, so he could stand up but the siren felt like he needed contact with someone. He let himself fall to the side so his head was laying on Seungmin’s thigh. The redhead was a little surprise but didn’t have anything against this. </p><p>If anyone wanted to know who sat on Chan’s back. It was Byungho. That had distracted the wolf hybrid a little bit but he focused more on the armwrestling than on Byungho sitting on his back. Besides the brown-haired male got off him when Hyunjin got off of Felix. </p><p>“If I don’t come back, you know where to search”, Felix joked before he went up the stairs to get to Minho’s room. He listened carefully with his cat ears, when he saw his brother’s room door and heard faint voices. The ginger got closer to said door while moving soundless, which was easy for him as a cat hybrid. </p><p>“We really should go down again”, Felix heard Jisung say, followed by a soft grumble the ginger could identify as his brother’s. “They will probably come and get us at some point, so come on”, the warlock said, probably trying to convince Minho. It made Felix really curious. What were they doing? </p><p>“They didn’t do it until now. Let’s just stay like that. It’s comfortable”, Minho replied in a complaining tone. Felix heard Jisung giggle at that. “I noticed that when you purred”, the warlock teased. You could clearly hear Minho huff but he didn’t say anything in return. </p><p>If Felix was really curious before he was now desperate to know what the hell they were doing because the ginger had barely heard his brother purr and it was an indicator for Minho having a huge crush on Jisung because a cat hybrid only purred when they were in a comfortable position with their loved ones, which could be their partner, child or mate. </p><p>Yes, Felix was aware of his brother’s crush on Jisung because he knew him too well to not notice how protective he was over the warlock or how he looked at him lovingly from time to time. But Felix didn’t talk with the older about it because he thought that Minho would come to him and tell him if he wanted him to know, so Felix waited patiently for his brother to be ready to tell him but up until now the topic never came up.</p><p>Now Felix’s curiosity was finally getting the better of him. He carefully opened the door just a slit without making a sound. It was a tactic the Lee’s brothers perfected over the years of living with parents with excellent ears. Now the ginger could look into the room. He had to bite his lip very hard to make no sound because the scene he saw was too cute to handle in Felix’s opinion. </p><p>Minho had back-hugged Jisung and they just looked so content and comfortable it reminded the ginger a bit of his parents. The warlock’s hands were placed on Minho’s arms and the older’s head rested on Jisung’s shoulder. They just looked like they were an engaged couple or deeply in love. Also because Jisung was wearing Minho’s dark blue hoodie again. Felix nearly envied that because now he felt like being held like that and a small part of him wished for his destined mate, where ever that person was. </p><p>Suddenly Minho slightly tilted his head to the side, so his nose was buried in Jisung’s blue hair. Felix could have sworn that Minho even placed a small kiss there. Jisung just blinked in confusion but Felix was more focused on his brother because it seemed like the older was thinking about saying something he didn’t really like, judging by the way he lightly scrunched up his nose. </p><p>“I need to tell you something“, Minho said and released Jisung from his embrace. The warlock was even more confused with worried added into it and immediately turned around to look at the older. </p><p>Felix knew shouldn’t be eavesdropping on them now because it seemed like it was getting serious but he couldn’t help it. It felt like watching a good drama where you can’t take your eyes of the screen.</p><p>“Felix!”, someone called for the ginger, which made him jump and turn around immediately to see Jeongin standing in the corridor. He looked slightly confused and wanted to say something again but Felix immediately shushed him. </p><p>When Felix heard movement behind him, he sprinted forward to Jeongin and casually stood beside him, pretending like he was innocent. Hopefully Minho would believe he was innocent or he was screwed. </p><p>Minho fully opened his room door and saw the two younger males standing in the corridor. Felix knew that his brother was having the suspicion, that someone had been eavesdropping on Jisung and him as soon as he noticed that the door was a split opened. Jisung stood a little behind him with light pink cheeks.</p><p>“We were coming to get you. We want to finally start the movie”, Jeongin said casually. “Come on, now”, the kitsune added and made a hand gesture, which indicated them to follow him. The blond also managed to gently grab Felix’s hand and tug him along with him when he walked back to the living room. </p><p>Minho and Jisung followed them and judging by the look in Minho’s eyes he wasn’t suspecting Felix or Jeongin for eavesdropping, at least as far as Felix could tell that by glancing at his brother but the ginger also noticed that the older cat hybrid seemed bothered by something. Even Jisung seemed worried but he covered it up pretty well by being his funny and bubbly self.</p><p>Now Felix slowly realized that Jeongin’s powers as a kitsune were practical but also dangerous in the wrong hands. Sure, the youngest didn’t technically lie when he told Minho and Jisung, that he and Felix had come to get them but he somehow convinced them to believe that the younger cat hybrid had been with Jeongin all the time and hadn’t eavesdropped on them. </p><p>Felix shook this thoughts away when they all settled themselves in the living room to finally watch Jurassic World. Minho and Jisung were teased a bit for spending so much time alone in Minho’s room. It was harmless though. Besides Jisung and Minho were back to their usual selves because of it, which was basically Minho low-key flirting with Jisung while the warlock got a little red and slightly hit everybody, who made a teasing comment about him. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>Jeongin was right to bet on Jisung. The blue-haired male was scared whenever the Indominus Rex did something but the kitsune couldn’t really enjoy that because the little sunshine in front of him wasn’t shining as bright as usual. Felix seemed to think hard about something instead of enjoying the movie like the rest. Maybe he noticed that he had used his powers to cover for him and probably didn’t like that. </p><p>The kitsune hated it when the ginger was worrying or had something on his mind. He should have fun like all the others and be the group’s little sunshine. To not disturb the others Jeongin decided to not talk to the ginger about him obviously not paying attention to the movie but that didn’t mean he could do nothing. The blond innocently leaned forward from his place on the couch to wrap his arms around the ginger’s shoulders, who was seated on a bean bag more or less in front of him. Felix flinched a little bit at the sudden contact but relaxed quickly. Jeongin smiled a little at that. He now had the cat hybrid’s attention. </p><p>The next step of Jeongin’s little plan only really worked because he was a kitsune. Why? Because fox spirits were sneaky creatures, who could make you do something without you noticing but this was more of a second-hand ability. Still, Jeongin managed to sit on the bean bag, which previously was occupied by the ginger with said ginger on his lap and nobody noticed, not even Felix for the most part. </p><p>So whenever Felix would space off now, Jeongin would just do something to get the cat hybrid’s attention, like holding the older even more close at “scary” parts of the movie. Overall you could say Jeongin signaled Felix, that he was scared, so the older would focus on the movie to find out what was scary and therefore calm the youngest. The kitsune didn’t think pretending to be scared was a crime but it was still a trick. </p><p>After the credits rolled the first thing that was heard was Jisung. “I won’t be able to sleep tonight because of this”, he exclaimed while clinging onto Minho. The rest just laughed at this. Jisung really was a scaredy-cat. </p><p>“It wasn’t even scary. I think you were the only one that was scared”, Seungmin laughed. “No, he wasn’t. Jeongin was also scared”, Felix called out Jeongin. Well, the kitsune didn’t expect that one. “Lie“, the blond protested. “I wasn’t scared at all”, he added with a pout. </p><p>“Oh, yeah. Your grip on me tightened every time when something with the dinosaurs happened”, the ginger responded and turned to the side so he could look at the youngest without having to stand up. If Jeongin was honest he didn’t think his plan would backfire like that. </p><p>That Felix was seated on Jeongin’s lap was something the others registered but didn’t react to because well everybody was either cuddled up to someone or laying on someone’s shoulder. Changbin for example was very content with having Seungmin as a big teddy bear, who sat in front of him while Hyunjin had his head on the vampire’s thigh. </p><p>Speaking of Hyunjin, while the others started to tease Jeongin for being “scared” or just have their usual teasing conversations he feel asleep.</p><p>—————————————</p><p>Changbin noticed that Hyunjin had fallen asleep on his thigh. If the vampire was honest with himself the siren just looked beautiful. He was like a sleeping beauty, which you could consider unfair at some point. After all not everyone could be described as beautiful when they were fast asleep. </p><p>The vampire lightly poked the redhead in front of him to get his attention. Seungmin grumbled a bit but turned his head to the vampire, being ready to complain but then Changbin pointed at Hyunjin with a light smile on his lips. seungmin looked down at the sleeping siren, probably also thinking that he was somehow cute, judging by the way his lips curved upwards into a tiny smile. </p><p>Seungmin the looked up to the rest, who was joking around rather loudly. “Everybody shut up”, he hissed loud enough for everybody to notice and therefore shut up. “Hyunjin is sleeping”, he added in a whisper. Changbin had to bite back a laugh. Who knew Seungmin could be like this? </p><p>Sadly, the siren seemingly could only sleep in a loud environment because he stirred and tiredly opened his eyes. “Why are you so quiet all of the sudden?”, he asked with a groggy voice. Changbin was kind of taken back by that but he didn’t know why. Almost everyone else cooed at the tired siren. </p><p>“Wow, it’s already eight o’clock”, Byungho suddenly said. Changbin looked over to the brunette, who seemingly had just checked something on his phone. </p><p>Jeongin sighed. “Hyung we should go before Auntie kills us for coming home late”, the kitsune said to Hyunjin. The siren nodded and sat up while rubbing his eyes. Hyunjin looked pretty cute right now but Changbin had to refer from commenting it. He didn’t know if he wanted to tease or compliment or complain anyway. Just ... could Hyunjin not be this effortlessly cute?</p><p>“I think we should head home too, Seungmin. Mum wrote me that she and Rana prepared dinner”, Byungho spoke up, looking over to the redhead. Seungmin huffed, letting himself sink against Changbin for one brief moment, before sitting up properly. Changbin let the other go slowly almost being a bit sad that the redhead had to head home but maybe he should go home himself just in case Jae randomly came to the castle only to find it empty. </p><p>After Changbin also said he should go home Chan suggested to walk a bit together since they needed to head into the same direction. The Lee brothers and Jisung walked everyone to the door, bidding their goodbyes. </p><p>———————</p><p>“Should I walk you home?”, Seungmin asked Jisung quietly just before walking out of the door. Jisung appreciated his best friend’s worry and how the redhead was looking out for him ever since meeting his uncle but today Seungmin needed to get rest himself, so the warlock just shook his head and ruffled his best friend’s red hair. </p><p> “Stop worrying about me and get a good potion of rest today, you selfless dummy”, Jisung answered. Seungmin didn’t seem very convinced, frowning a bit worriedly. “I will be fine thanks to you”, the warlock reassured his friend, giving a very subtle hint to the demonic shield Seungmin had given Jisung. The redhead sighed and finally bid goodbye to everyone before walking off with Byungho. </p><p>This left Jisung alone with the Lee brothers and the warlock prayed to all known gods that they would let him stay just a bit longer until he felt ready to head to the flat of his uncle. Minho closed the front door and turned around to face Jisung. </p><p> “Want to stay tonight?”, Minho suddenly asked. Jisung blinked in surprise, not knowing what to say at first. “Wouldn’t that be a nuisance for you considering we have school tomorrow?”, the warlock asked in return, not wanting to bother the two Lee brothers.</p><p>“All tests and exams are over for this year. We have holidays in two days, so we will probably just watch Christmas movies in the last few lessons”, Minho simply said. “Alright then. Thanks”, Jisung quietly agreed in a rather shy manner. The older lightly grinned at that. </p><p>“I already ship it”, you could hear Felix yell from the basement, probably having carried down a bean bag. Jisung looked confused to the door, which lead to the basement while Minho walked to said door and closed it. He held the handle up so you couldn’t open the door anymore. </p><p>“Hyung did you just- Minho open the door”, you could hear Felix muffled voice and also him trying to open the door but Minho kept the handle in place with a smirk. Jisung started to laugh. This the most “sibling thing” Minho could have done. </p><p>“I swear. Open the damn door. I don’t want to get eaten by spiders! I am too young to die”, Felix whined from behind the door. “I will let you out when you say sorry”, Minho demanded in a joking tone. Jisung already had to hold his stomach because it started to hurt from laughing so much. This was too hilarious to watch. </p><p>“For what do I need to apologize?”, his younger brother asked with a whine. “You know for what”, the older replied. You could hear a sigh. “I am sorry”, Felix said in a mumbling tone. Minho let go of the handle and got out of the way while Felix literally fell out of the door but he caught himself rather elegantly. </p><p>He looked at Minho with narrowed eyes. “I hate you with all my might”, the ginger grumbled. His older brother only grinned. “And you are a bad friend”, Felix said accusingly and pointed at the still laughing Jisung like he was accusing him of a serious crime, then he held his head high and stalked up the stairs. </p><p>“I wish you two a horrible night”, he yelled over his shoulder before he went into his room. Jisung calmed down from his laughing fit. “I didn’t know he could be such a drama queen”, the warlock commented. “Nah. He is more of a living meme”, Minho respondent. “Should we go up to my room?”, the older asked after a short pause. Jisung just nodded with a little smile on his lips.</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Minsung</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Byungho comforting Seungmin and Felix‘s new ship is sailing.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Byungho and Seungmin walked quietly beside each other. They had parted ways with Chan and Changbin pretty much after they left the Lee’s house and right now didn’t have much a conversation because sometimes it’s better to walk quietly walk beside each other and not force a conversation. But maybe they should talk after all.</p><p>Seungmin was slightly chewing on his bottom lip. Something he did when he was deep in thought or when he was worried about something. Given today’s events Byungho guessed that the redhead was probably overthinking, so he gently bumped his shoulder with his younger brother’s to get his attention. Seungmin’s head snapped to Byungho and he seemed somehow stressed, which was strange because he seemed relaxed some minutes ago. </p><p>“You seem to think about something”, Byungho stated in a rather soft tone in hopes of getting the younger to talk. “Just some stupid, irrational thoughts”, the redhead mumbled and turned his gaze back on the asphalt before his feet, avoiding to look into Byungho’s concerned dark eyes. </p><p>“Want to talk about it?”, the older kindly asked but Seungmin only shook his head. “They are stupid and irrational, like I already said but ...”, he trailed off. “They still bother you?”, Byungho more or less finished Seungmin’s sentence. The redhead nodded again. “Maybe some of them are even reasonable but I know everything will be fine, so why worry about it, right?”, Seungmin continued and you could hear the bit of insecurity in his voice. </p><p>Byungho felt like someone punched him hard on the chest when he heard the insecurity in Seungmin’s voice. Normally the redhead was confident, determine to reach his goal, whatever that was and now he was an insecure teenage boy, who was now worried that people will fear him. </p><p>The brunette thought back to the moment where he had seen Seungmin surrounded by an red aura, which radiated an incredible heat, trying desperately to not let his true form show. Somehow Byungho was glad that Seungmin had managed to not let his horns and devil’s tail show but it worried him that the redhead had lost a lot of magical energy just to let his secret be safe. Despite that Byungho didn’t know how Seungmin had been brought to the point were he was fighting against himself to keep his secret safe. He had the suspicion that it was the vampire gang’s fault but he didn’t know for sure. </p><p>Byungho deeply exhaled, focusing on his little brother, who was still being his lips anxiously. He was still thinking about the incident and probably how it would affect his future in school. Byungho could understand why. He didn’t know what he would do if someone brought him to the point were he almost showed his black wings. </p><p>“I know this whole thing is incredibly scary”, Byungho began, looking at his little brother. “But you know our friends, you know how they behaved today. They weren’t scared or afraid despite not knowing what happened to you. They were just worried about your well-being, about you being hurt”, Byungho tried to comfort Seungmin and it worked. The redhead looked at his older brother with the little glimmer of hope in his eyes. </p><p>“You told Jisung about almost everything regarding you and he didn’t turn away from you did he? He is still your best friend and I even think helped you out a lot today”, Byungho went on, remembering that the reason they went after Seungmin was because Jisung had reacted to him running after Changbin almost anxiously, which ultimately let to the whole group following them, even though they should have done it a lot sooner. </p><p>“You are right, hyung. Thanks”, the redhead said with a bit more confidence and showed one of his adorable smiles. Byungho also showed a smile and ruffled his brother’s red hair. </p><p>Just in this moment a little part of Byungho wished he could show his closest friends, who he really was, what he really was but the bigger part knew that it wasn’t going to end well. Who would accept an angel tainted by demonic blood, when even the angels up in heaven didn’t? </p><p>————————————</p><p>Minho walked out of his bathroom, freshly showered and in his pajamas. His hazelnut brown hair was still damp but he was too tired to properly dry it. The cat hybrid saw Jisung comfortable laying on his bed reading in one of the warlock’s school books while a blue light hovered over the book. He was still wearing Minho’s dark blue hoodie as well as pair of sweatpants from the older. The warlock’s blue hair had already dried from the younger’s shower, he had taken before Minho. </p><p>The cat hybrid found the sight of Jisung reading in one of his school books while being absolutely concentrated on it quite endearing to watch. In all honesty the blue-haired male looked very handsome while reading with an concentrated expression on his face. </p><p>Minho lightly smirked when an idea popped up in his head. He sneaked towards the bed without making a sound, only to look over the younger’s shoulder into the book he was reading. It looked like it was a schoolbook for magical creatures. The current page was about the topic “Visions” but Minho didn’t read more than the headlines, knowing he wouldn’t understand much from this book anyway. </p><p>“I didn’t know you were such a nerd”, Minho said casually, scaring the warlock in the process, who nearly jumped out of his skin. Minho only laughed while Jisung looked at him like he was a ghost. When the warlock got out of his shocked state, he grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at the older male, who caught it with ease even though he was still laughing. </p><p>“Stop scaring me like that”, Jisung complained. “But it’s too much fun”, the older snickered. The warlock huffed and closed his schoolbook, letting the little light disappear. Minho noticed only now when he saw the cover of the book Jisung had been reading, that it wasn’t a schoolbook, at least not directly. It was a book from the school’s library as far as Minho could tell from the little sticker in the right top corner. He eyed the cover with a little bit of curiosity. It was an average book with an simple leather binder. The title on the front was colored dark blue and read “Special magical abilities”. </p><p>“Why are you reading that?”, the cat hybrid asked and motioned towards the book. “I am doing research on visions to maybe understand why my visions are so strange”, the warlock answered honestly and letting the book drop into his backpack, which leaned onto the bed’s side. “Any luck until now?”, the older questioned while plopping down onto the bed beside Jisung. </p><p>“Not yet. Until now the book only describes how visions are supposed to work, which is basically the opposite of how my visions work”, the warlock responded a little bit frustrated and ruffled a hand through his already messy blue hair. </p><p>“Maybe your visions are just special”, the cat hybrid said after a pause. “Like you”, he added casually. Jisung blushed lightly, took another pillow in his reach and hit the older with it. “Stop being cheesy, you stupid cat”, the warlock said and continued to hit Minho with the pillow. The cat hybrid only laughed. He really had way too much fun messing with the blue-haired male. </p><p>After a while of messing around like that. The two just laid beside each other covered under Minho’s warm blanket, facing the dark ceiling of the room. Both couldn’t really sleep and thought about today’s events. The thing with Seungmin and Byungho but also their little moment from not so long ago.</p><p>“Hey, hyung”, Jisung spoke up after a while of silence. Minho hummed, so the other knew he was listening. “What did you want to tell me before we were interrupted by Jeongin and Felix? It seemed important to you”, the warlock asked and turned to the side, so he was facing Minho. </p><p>The cat hybrid internally cursed. A part of him wanted Jisung to just forget about it because Minho wasn’t sure if he could find the courage again to tell Jisung about his crush on him and the mate thing. </p><p>He wanted to tell him before they watched the movie, not because he thought the timing and place was perfect, no, it was because Minho had purred while holding Jisung. </p><p>For a cat hybrid if they purred while being with someone not related to them or someone from their Family, it was like someone hit you with a sign with “You are in love. This is your mate and now tell him that you coward!” written on it in bold red letters. </p><p>It was just rare for a cat hybrid to purr, when they were single and didn’t have children. In fact the only cat hybrids Minho heard purr before were his parents and Felix when they were younger. </p><p>Minho debated in his head if he should tell Jisung or if he should just say it wasn’t that important and that he should forget about. The thought of just confessing was tempting but also scary, especially in a situation like this one where Jisung could get into serious trouble if he just left the Lee’s house. </p><p>“I- . Never mind. It wasn’t that important”, the cat hybrid said and cursed internally at myself because that sounded everything but convincing. He heard shuffling from beside him. It was obviously Jisung changing his position but Minho was not prepared for the younger to put his hands on each side of his head and look him directly into his face while hovering over him. </p><p>“Do you trust me, hyung?”, the warlock asked in a more serious tone. Even though it was dark outside and the light in Minho’s room had been switched off by the cat hybrid half an hour prior, the older could see Jisung’s light blue eyes perfectly. They had an determined shimmer in them, which Minho didn’t see that often. It was almost as if they were shining even though that was complete nonsense. </p><p>“Yeah”, the older’s answer was nearly automatically. He was just so drawn into the warlock’s beautiful sky-blue eyes but right now Jisung just looked generally eternal. It made the cat hybrid’s eyes even flicker down to the warlock’s soft looking lips for a short second. He wanted to kiss the other again but properly this time.</p><p>“Then tell me what was so important to you”, Jisung wanted to know. Minho was very close to just pull Jisung down and kiss him instead of explaining to the younger that he had an huge crush on him and that the warlock was also his mate. But some part of him also said: What if he didn’t even like you in that way? For Jisung Minho wasn’t someone destiny chose for him, at least that was what the cat hybrid thought. </p><p>“Only if you don’t run away or avoid me for the rest of your life” Minho didn’t plan on saying that but did it anyway because his brain stopped to function properly when he was more or less cornered by the warlock but at least his brain didn’t add “Because that would kill me internally” because that would be hard to explain. </p><p>“I would never do that”, Jisung answered and he didn’t sound unsure for one split second which relived Minho to an certain extent. The shimmer in Jisung’s eyes also changed a bit. They were more sympathetic and had this warm but concerned glimmer, which made you melt. Hopefully Jisung was someone who kept his word. </p><p>The older didn’t know if he was able to just say that he had a crush or if he would stumble over his words, which would be embarrassing and knowing Jisung he would never hear the end of it ever again as a sort of revenge. Minho did love it to teased the warlock after all. </p><p>The feeling that maybe he was taking to long to chose his words was slowly eating away at Minho. Normally he knew what to say or how to tease someone but now he had the feeling he was tongue-tight. </p><p>“You know what? Screw words”, the cat hybrid thought to himself, putting an end to the annoying “what if” thoughts that were swirling around in his head and his desperate search for the right words. </p><p>Minho pulled Jisung down by the collar of the dark blue hoodie he was wearing and just kissed him. The younger’s lips were still warm and soft like he remembered from the pocky game. </p><p>The cat hybrid had automatically closed his eyes when his lips met Jisung’s, maybe out of fear of the other’s reaction or maybe so he could savor the feeling of the younger’s soft lips but he really didn’t know. </p><p>Still, Minho had noticed how the warlock at first stiffened but then relaxed completely not even two seconds later. They parted from their short, innocent kiss and looked each other in the eyes again. Both were glad for the dark room because they probably both looked like tomatoes right now. </p><p>“I-I guess this is the point where I say I have a huge crush on you since getting to really know you”, Jisung slightly stuttered while you could nearly hear his blush if that was even possible. Minho chuckled at that, finding it adorable and just being relieved over all. </p><p>“I got a crush on you after a week of knowing you”, the cat hybrid admitted and it was absolutely true. Minho thought Jisung was pretty handsome when he saw him properly for the first time and after getting to know him a little Minho had developed a crush on him because he wasn’t only handsome but also kindhearted and funny. </p><p>“By all gods”, the warlock breathed out and hide his face in Minho’s chest because he couldn’t handle this anymore without his brain becoming mush. He let himself rest on the older’s chest not saying another word.</p><p>Whatever confidence he had when he asked Minho if he trusted him was gone by now. The warlock was back to being a shy, blushing mess. The older chuckled again. God, Jisung definitely was something else and he loved it. </p><p>It was quiet for a short while where both males collected their thoughts before Minho called Jisung “Hannie” and the younger hummed in response. “Do you know what a destined mate is?”, the older asked, which made Jisung shift once more so he had his hands on Minho’s chest, so he could prop his chin on them to look at the cat hybrid again. It was funny how the warlock could now feel the other’s fast heartbeat but to be fair Jisung’s wasn’t one bit slower. </p><p>“Kind of, yeah”, the warlock answered. “It’s like an ideal lover chose for a hybrid or werwolf by the gods”, he added. “That’s a nice explanation of it”, Minho commented and lightly smiled even though Jisung could barely see that. “Why did you ask?”, Jisung questioned innocently, even though he was smart enough to already have an idea in mind. </p><p>“Well, you are my destined mate”, Minho tried to casually say it but Jisung could literally feel his heart speed up even more in a rather nervous manner. That Minho was nervous seemingly boosted Jisung’s confidence back up again. “Does that mean you are asking me out?”, the warlock asked with a smile forming on his lips. </p><p>Where that confidence of the younger came from was something Minho would never fully understand but he liked it nonetheless. </p><p>“You could say that”, Minho answered, smiling a bit. “I am your boyfriend then. Good to know”, Jisung simply stated but Minho could see the big smile on his face as well as feel his racing heart. The warlock laid his head on Minho’s chest, letting a little breath escape his lips. It was comfortable like that. Minho could sleep like this if he was honest. </p><p>“Where did your sudden confidence came from?”, Minho mumbled to himself but Jisung heard it anyway. “I would tell you if I knew”, the warlock answered truthfully. Minho couldn’t help but chuckle at that. </p><p>And it was silent again. It was a comfortable silence and surprisedly not awkward in the slightest, which was damn world wonder. </p><p>Minho wanted to say something again but the light snores he heard stopped him from it. Jisung somehow fell asleep with his head resting on Minho’s chest. </p><p>The older couldn’t help but smile at the cute, sleeping male. Carefully Minho put his arms around the younger to not wake him. Now it was absolutely comfortable, which also caused Minho to fall into a deep slumber.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Slowly rising storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung and Minho talking to Felix about them dating and Changbin being visited by Jae.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I knew it”, Felix simply stated with and big smile on his face. The ginger was seated on the couch while Minho and Jisung stood in front of him. The two had sat him down after their breakfast together and told him that they were now dating, which was a nerve racking thing to do for Minho, considering he didn’t tell Felix anything about Jisung being his mate or him being gay, but he did it now, so everything was fine at least for the younger Lee brother. </p><p>Jisung was a little bit more relaxed while telling Felix to Minho’s surprise. It was mainly because the warlock had been aware of his sexuality for a long time but didn’t tell a soul because nobody asked. So for him it wasn’t a revelation but rather answering a question nobody asked him before. Some people would still be nervous or anxious but Jisung wasn’t because someone of the newly formed couple needed to be relaxed and confident and if it wasn’t Minho, it had to be Jisung. </p><p>So basically Jisung was calm and collected for Minho’s sake because just looking at the older cat hybrid told you enough to know that he was just pretending that this was no big deal. </p><p>Now you may ask why they told Felix immediately. Well, it was easier in the long run because Felix would have noticed after a rather short period of time anyway, mainly because he would have noticed that Minho had Jisung’s scent on him. This was perfectly normal for a hybrid, who spent a lot of time cuddling his mate or doing something similar. </p><p>“I’m good at predicting the future and reading my brother”, the ginger added to his previous statement and patted himself on the shoulder, seemingly satisfied that he was already aware of the things Minho had told him. </p><p>“Yeah you are great, Felix”, Minho said sarcastically being back to his sassy old self after telling his younger brother everything. “Stop undermining my greatness”, Felix protested and threw a pillow at the older, which Minho caught easily despite the force Felix put into the throw. </p><p>“Why are there so many people, who throw pillows at me?”, the older questioned and threw the pillow back to Felix, who also caught it easily and then placed it beside him. </p><p>“Maybe because you are always so mean”, the ginger replied and stuck out his tongue like a little child. Minho gave him a blank look and turned to Jisung. “Would you mind turning around for five minutes?”, he asked, which confused the warlock a bit. “Don’t do it”, Felix immediately yelled. “He will surely try to kill me”, he added, acting like the was scared. </p><p>“How are you two managing to live alone?”, the Jisung questioned with his head tilted to the side while he looked between the two brothers. “We don’t”, the Lee brothers said in union. This caused all three teenagers to laugh for no real reason but it was a teenage thing to do, so why not?</p><p>“We should get going or we will run late”, Jisung spoke up after they calmed down from their little laughing fit. “I need to say something first”, Felix said and now he seemed more serious, which surprised Jisung and Minho. Maybe even scared them a little because of the instant switch in the younger’s voice. </p><p>Felix’s gaze focused on the blue-haired warlock . “Jisung if you hurt my brother I will hurt you too”, he declared and then focused on Minho. “Hyung if you hurt Jisung I will murder you because he is too precious”, he added. Minho looked absolutely unimpressed because like hell would he hurt the warlock in any way and Jisung couldn’t decide if he should be scared, confused or just not take Felix seriously. </p><p>“Okay. That’s it. Let’s go”, Felix said, back in his happy tone and clapped. He got up from the couch and went to the house door. </p><p>“Do I need to understand that?”, Jisung asked Minho and looked after Felix. “Nope. Just a Felix thing”, the older responded and slightly shook his head but he still had a grin on his face. </p><p>————————————</p><p>Changbin walked down the stairs still being a little bit sleepy. Maybe going to bed late wasn’t a good idea but he had to seriously think about some things and he can only do that while sitting on the castle’s roof, looking into the distance. </p><p>He still hadn’t figured out everything that went through his head but there was one thing he was certain of: He would make Ryan and Chantelle pay for what they did to Seungmin and never let them get close to his friends ever again. Hopefully they were smart enough to take him seriously when he told them to keep their mouths shut about his friends’ secrets.  </p><p>The vampire prince wanted to walk into the kitchen to grab something for breakfast but feeling someone’s presence made him halt. He stood in the corridor not far away from the entrance to the living room. </p><p>The first thing he did was checking if he wasn’t just imagining things because he was still sleepy. Seemingly it wasn’t like that, so he immediately suppressed his own presence, so the other creature wouldn’t notice him even if they were sensitive to auras.  </p><p>Carefully the vampire sneaked towards the entrance. The presence didn’t disappear, so he hadn’t been noticed until now. It scared Changbin slightly that someone could just entered his home, even though it was impossible to get into the castle uninvited. Maybe it was someone he knew? Someone his parents send to check on him, even if it was unlikely? </p><p>Slowly Changbin looked around the corner into the living room. He released a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he saw a familiar figure with blond hair and glasses sitting on the black leather couch. </p><p>“Jae, what are you doing here this early in the morning?”, Changbin asked and walked up to the older. Jae turned his head towards him, seemingly surprised that he didn’t notice the younger vampire until now. </p><p>“I’m checking on you. By the way prince or not it’s still hyung for you”, the taller male snorted. Changbin lightly rolled his eyes and jumped on the couch, trying to not show the tiny smile that was creeping up his lips. A part of him was always happy if Jae dropped by randomly even though the tall blond was sometimes annoying but Changbin also felt a bit bad knowing Jae should be very busy with university right now.</p><p>“I’m old enough to not need a babysitter, so you don’t need to check on me all the time. I know you are busy with university”, the vampire prince stated and leaned back into the softness of the backrest of the couch. </p><p>Yes, Jae had been Changbin’s babysitter for a long time. That was also how the vampire prince had been introduced to Younghyun, Sungjin, Wonpil and Dowoon. At first Jae had invited Younghyun and Dowoon to help him taking care of their future king and after some time Wonpil and Sungjin were also invited to the “taking care of the vampire throne heir” party. It was fun even though Changbin had developed zero respect for the older males because they were always goofing around. Well, except for Sungjin because he was the one, who kept them from doing stupid stuff like riding a sledge down the stairs. </p><p>“Hey, I still need to make sure you are okay and not dead because of endless boredom”, Jae responded and playfully pushed the younger male beside him. He showed a smile but somehow it didn’t reach his eyes fully. It seemed like Jae tried to cover something up. Changbin knew the blond too long to not notice little signs like that. </p><p>“What’s wrong, hyung? I know something is up”, Changbin said and looked at the older male with the round glasses. “Playing the hyung card now, huh? Evil brat”, Jae sighed, took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. </p><p>Changbin was now able to properly notice the dark circles under his hyung’s eyes, which had been covered by the other’s glasses. Jae seemed tired, exhausted even and Changbin didn’t like that at all. The vampire knew a little bit about the issue with Wonpil and his first thought was that something was wrong with the red-haired demon but if that was the case Jae wouldn’t be here with him. He would be with Wonpil along with Younghyun, Sungjin and Dowoon doing whatever it was that would help their friend. </p><p>“You look at me like I’m a kicked puppy. Do I look that bad?”, Jae questioned humorously and looked Changbin in the eyes. “You look like you haven’t slept in ages”, Changbin answered, covering up his concern with a huff. Jae chuckled dryly. “Not far from it”, he answered with an bitter undertone, putting his glasses back on. </p><p>“Tell me what’s wrong, hyung”, Changbin wanted to know what was bothering the other. The blond vampire beside him sighed again and let his head hang for a short while before looking into Changbin’s eyes again.</p><p>The vampire prince’s eyes had a determined shimmer in them. It made the bit of red in them stand out more. Now it was clear to Jae that he had to tell Changbin what was going on, even if he didn’t want to.</p><p>“Remember the alarm at your school in November?”, the older asked. “Of course I do. I had to stay with you and Younghyun for the whole day and wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. Not even Seungmin”, Changbin mumbled. “You know why”, Jae responded, lightly flicking Changbin’s forehead. Changbin flinched back a little and rubbed his forehead to ease the pain away. </p><p>At the day of the alarm Changbin was escorted out of his classroom with his classmates Hendery, an elf from NCT and Kang Yuchan from the group A.C.E along with their teacher Mr. Suh, who was also a member of NCT as far as Changbin knew. Mr. Suh had brought Changbin directly to Jae and Younghyun, who had been called to the school the second the alarm went off. Until today Changbin didn’t really know the exact reason for having to stay with Jae and Younghyun for the rest of that day. Sure maybe it was a precaution, so nothing could happen to him but it was said that the alarm had been a false one.</p><p>“Actually I don’t know why you and Younghyun had to watch over me for the rest of that day. I know the alarm meant that something was wrong with the barrier between our world and the human one but no one explained to me why I was picked out of my class to be protected separately. Besides it was a false one wasn’t it?”, the vampire prince said with a bit attitude in his voice and crossed his arms over his chest. </p><p>“Please don’t turn this into a discussion about your status. You know I don’t care about that. Never have”, Jae breathed out. Changbin wanted to protest but he kept his mouth shut when Jae leaned back, closed his eyes for a short second and released a breath. There was no denying he was tired. You could notice that even without looking at him. </p><p>“Alright. Sorry, hyung”, Changbin mumbled an apology, looking at the carpeted floor. “It’s fine”, Jae dismissed and ruffled through Changbin’s black hair. “I came to check on you because a lot of things got out of hand recently. Not personally but within the supernatural community. The alarm at your school wasn’t really a false one just a bit of an overreaction if I’m honest. Still, according to Youngjae, GOT7 struggles to keep up the barrier between our world and the human one for an still unknown reason. K.A.R.D is investigating what causes the barrier to be so fragile but they couldn’t find anything until now. Today the barrier nearly broke down again, which was why your parents called me and said I should keep an close eye on you, so nothing happens to you”, Jae explained. Changbin had listened carefully while Jae had talked, absorbing every bit of information and slowly he started to be worried. </p><p>“Doesn’t explain why you are so tired though”, Changbin mumbled with a bit of humor in his voice  and mustered Jae’s exhausted form again. Jae flicked the prince’s forehead again but harder this time, which caused the younger male to wince, groan and rub his forehead while having a pained expression on his face. Jae couldn’t help but showing an little amused smirk at the expression of the younger. </p><p>“I had a stressful week because you can clearly feel how everybody is on edge at my university alright”, the blond vampire answered. Changbin huffed at that, mainly because he was childishly mad at Jae for flicking his forehead but on the other hand the answer didn’t satisfy him either. </p><p>“Shouldn’t you get ready for school?”, Jae asked, changing the topic. If Changbin was honest he didn’t want to go to school, knowing that his hyung wasn’t in the best shape. “I just decided to skip today”, the vampire prince said and let himself fall to the side, so he was leaning on Jae. “Like hell you are skipping”, the older retorted, standing up, so Changbin fell to the side, hitting the soft cushions of the couch. </p><p>“Keep me from it”, Changbin challenged, not moving from his position. Jae glared at the younger. “I will drag your disrespectful ass to school in your pajamas, if I have to”, the blond threatened and Changbin knew he would do it. </p><p>The young vampire prince wanted to answer this threat with “Do it” but then he realized that the pajama he was currently wearing consisted of a fluffy pink sweater with a pair of baby blue sweatpants. This outfit would ruin the dark image he created throughout his years at Miroh High. </p><p>“Alright I will get ready”, the black-haired vampire said and jumped up to run up to his room to get changed, brush his teeth and make his hair look presentable. He already forgot about his breakfast. </p><p>When he came down into the living room again he was changed in all black and to his surprise Jae had fallen asleep on the couch. Changbin looked at the big clock above the unlit fireplace on the wall to his right. He just took twenty minutes to get ready. Jae must have been really tried. </p><p>Changbin got a fluffy orange blanket from the armchair next to the couch and draped it over Jae without thinking much about it. He took a piece of paper from a drawer of the desk at the other end of the room. He wrote that he went to school like Jae wanted and that the older could get himself something to eat from the kitchen if he wanted. </p><p>He put the little note on the coffee table in front of the couch, so Jae could spot it easily when he woke up. Changbin got his school things after that and  wanted to leave the castle when he remembered that Jae was still wearing his glasses. He rushed back into the living room, walked up to his hyung and carefully removed his glasses. Jae didn’t move at all. He was out like a light. </p><p>Changbin set the round glasses down onto the little note, which he had laid on the coffee table and then quietly left the living room, heading to the castle’s front door. He slipped outside and looked the door before starting to run into the direction of Miroh High. He never used his motorcycle when there was snow on the streets. </p><p>On his way he spotted a familiar mob of red hair. When he got a little closer he immediately knew that it was Seungmin, who walked beside Byungho, who was a lot harder to spot considering his brown hair didn’t stick out as much as Seungmin’s red hair did. </p><p>“Morning you two”, Changbin greeted the two Kim brothers when he was close and then casually walked beside Seungmin. Both didn’t even flinch and just greeted their friend with “morning” and light smiles. </p><p>Changbin was glad that Seungmin seemed perfectly fine. He was worried about the redhead after they had parted ways yesterday. He didn’t really know why he had been worried about the young demon though since Changbin knew Seungmin could take care of himself but he seemingly couldn’t help it when it came to the redhead. </p><p>The three conversed casually about which movie they will watch in which class. It was a rather funny and light conversation all of them enjoyed. </p><p>Of course, the information Changbin received this morning from Jae weren’t good but the vampire prince didn’t really worry about it. A lot of powerful creatures took care of the barrier, so that their world would stay hidden, he knew that. Starting to panic won’t help them, so Changbin decided internally to trust them and continue his everyday life like nothing happened.</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Video</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A reporter showing his boss a video of a warlock he filmed and Felix racing with the werewolves Junyoung and Jeno.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I swear to god this could be our greatest success”, a tall, young male with dark hair said to the woman with glasses, who sat behind a big desk made of dark wood. “It’s a risk, Elias”, the woman said in a calm voice. “Look at the footage again. This was real and not performed, arranged or prepared”, Elias urged his Boss once more and gave the woman his phone to watch the video again he had filmed today in the early morning. </p><p>The woman took the phone and watched the video again, which showed a blue-haired male around twenty with glowing hands, who seemed to fix a sort of barrier. After fixing said barrier, which made itself invisible, the unknown male walked into it without a slightest bit of hesitation and just disappeared into thin air. You could clearly hear Elias gasp behind the camera. The woman paused the video, knowing that the next few minutes were unimportant because it only proved that there was no trace of the unknown male with the blue hair or the barrier he had fixed. </p><p>Elias looked at his boss with hope in his eyes, when she gave the phone back to him. “Did you check if something was there? Like a Splitter of this invisible barrier or something that even scientists would see as something supernatural”, she asked the male. Elias looked down to his feet and shook his head. His hope faded like white smoke in the wind. </p><p>His boss exhaled loudly. “I know that you are fascinated by supernatural things and that you wouldn’t dare fake this video but I can’t let you write an article about this because it would make our newspaper look incredibly stupid. I mean I can’t even fully believe this video is real. Do you understand that?”, the woman explained. “I understand”, Elias said and nodded in understanding, even though his face clearly showed his disappointment. </p><p>The woman with the glasses mustered him thoughtfully. She seemed to debate on something. “I trust you, Elias. You are a good kid and journalist”, she said and paused for a short second. “You can release the video on our website. We can make it look like an accidental upload or some hacker’s prank when it backfires”, she continued. Elias’ eyes immediately lit up at that. “Thank you so much, ma’am”, he thanked the woman with a big smile. </p><p>“No problem”, she answered with a light grin. “And now get to work”, she added and shooed the male out of her office with a simple hand gesture. “Of course, ma’am”, Elias said and walked out of the door with a happy skip in his steps, letting the blue crystal, which was his necklace’s charm, bounce against his chest. </p><p>Now he was even more determined to get actual proof for the existence of a supernatural world. After all he had seen and filmed an actual warlock working with magic on some sort barrier humans couldn’t see or feel. It didn’t really exist to them you could say. Elias had been lucky enough to notice it and was convinced that this was the thing, which kept the supernatural beings hidden from the human eye. </p><p>“I will prove the existence of a supernatural world for sure”, Elias thought to himself while walking down the corridors of the newspaper company he was working for, towards his own little office. </p><p>————————————————</p><p>“Felix. Tell me what you are hiding. Now”, Jeongin demanded, when he managed to trap the ginger between his arms. Felix’s back was pressed against the cold surface of the lockers and in all honesty he felt like he was in a damn drama but he also knew that he needed to get away from Jeongin before he told him a secret that wasn’t his. </p><p>“I-I can’t. It’s not my secret to tell”, the ginger slightly stuttered because of Jeongin’s fierce stare. Felix internally cursed at himself for stutter but also at Minho and Jisung because they didn’t tell the rest of the group that they were dating yet so he was the only one, who knew until now. They wanted to wait a little bit and Felix had to bite back a lot of comments he wanted to make when he saw Jisung spacing out a couple of times when they were watching a documentary about Goethe in Literature. </p><p>Jeongin somehow noticed this odd behavior of Felix, so the kitsune pulled the ginger to the side when they wanted to go to the gym for their next class without anyone noticing and that was how they ended up in their current position. </p><p>“Whose secret is it then?” the fox spirit questioned. “I don’t know if I am allowed to say that either”, the ginger answered honesty and gulped. Since when was Jeongin so scary? Where did the smiley Maknae go? </p><p>Jeongin didn’t seem satisfied with Felix’s answer but his aura and expression suddenly changed. He pouted cutely, took a step backwards, so Felix was free and crossed his arms in a cute manner. </p><p>“I want to know what hyung is hiding”, the blond mumbled sounding like a small child. It took every bit of Felix’s will to not give into this and just tell Jeongin that Minho and Jisung were dating. Instead he cooed, made a step forward and hugged the godly cute Maknae. </p><p>“Stop being so goddamn cute, will you?”, the ginger cooed. Felix knew that the kitsune just wanted to switch tactic to get him to tell the blond what he was hiding but the ginger wasn’t planning on falling for the fox spirit’s tactics. At least not this time. </p><p>Jeongin giggled cutely and wrapped his arms around the older, which made the cat hybrid’s heart do a little jump. </p><p>“There you are”, the two heard Hyunjin say. They looked towards the siren, who was jogging towards them with Jisung and Seungmin behind him. Felix and Jeongin let go of one another, which neither of them really wanted but it was a kind of reflex. There was still one question. What was up with Hyunjin and always interrupting their little moments? </p><p>“We were searching for you. We need to hurry if we want to get to our gym class on time”, Jisung chimed in. “Sport equals death. Why don’t we skip it?”, Seungmin mumbled more to himself than to the others but Jisung heard it and lightly hit the redhead on the shoulder for that statement. </p><p>“Don’t worry. I can teleport us”, Jeongin said and casually took Felix’s hand while stretching his other out for Hyunjin to grab. The siren took his cousin’s hand and also grabbed Seungmin’s, like it was nothing. </p><p>“Don’t forget me like last time”, Jisung said and clung onto Seungmin’s arm while giving the rest an accusative look. “You weren’t fast enough last time”, Jeongin stated and already teleported them to the gym. </p><p>“I wasn’t. You just didn’t warn me”, the warlock shot back and let go of Seungmin’s arm after noticing there were at the gym. “You have to admit that it was somehow funny”, Felix chimed in with and amused smile on his lips from thinking back to the memory. </p><p>What was also quite funny, was their current situation. Jeongin teleported the five of them in front of the door which lead to the boys locker room for creatures without the ability to transform. They startled some of the other students with their sudden appearance but none of the five friends really noticed. They just talked casually like nothing happened, when they entered the locker room. </p><p>They got changed and went into the gigantic gym of their school. It was designed to fit every creatures’ need in terms of space, meaning the creatures with wings had enough room to fly and creatures, who could transform into something larger like werewolves and liked to run had also enough space to do that. </p><p>“I love our gym hall”, Felix sighed. The ginger was utterly in love with the amount of space in the hall because here he could run and jump without having to fear, that he would hit his head or run into a wall. His friends rolled their eyes and said “We know, Felix” in union since the cat hybrid gushed over the amount of space here nearly every time he entered the gigantic hall. </p><p>“Hey, Felix”, someone called the cat hybrid. The called ginger as well as his friends turned their head towards the voice. A giant black wolf made its way towards the group. Felix knew it was the one and only Lee Jeno. He had Transformation with the werewolf, even though Felix was unable to transform himself into a cat. Only hybrids without visible animal traits like Chan could fully transform themselves into an animal. But all hybrids had to go Transformation because they also learned there how to use their additional strength, speed and senses properly and efficiently. </p><p>“Want to race like in our last Transformation lesson? Junyoung would join us”, Jeno asked while wagging his tail. He would look like a cute puppy, if he wasn’t so freaking tall as a wolf. </p><p>“Sure”, Felix agreed with a smile. “Watch me win”, he said to his friends. “You wish”, Jeno, who had heard the cat hybrid, huffed. This caused some laughter, not only among Felix’s group of friends but also some other students in the hall.</p><p>Felix jogged besides Jeno to another werewolf, who was waiting for them at what Felix assumed was the start line. This werewolf was Junyoung, who as a wolf had beautiful reddish brown fur and a pair of big dark eyes. He was a bit smaller than Jeno and had a less broad frame but when Felix stood next to him, the cat hybrid was the one, who looked tiny. </p><p>Felix send Junyoung a smile before looking back to Jeno. “The one round through the whole hall like always?”, the ginger asked the big black wolf. “I’m giving the signal”, a voice beside Jeno said. Felix looked past Jeno to see Jaemin, who had a big smile on his face.</p><p>“If you want, Nana”, Jeno chuckled before readying himself by lowering his upper body a little bit. Felix focused on the way ahead of him, sending a bright smile to his friends when he saw them. </p><p>“Three, two, one. Go!”, Jaemin gave the signal. Felix, Jeno and Junyoung sprinted forward while their classmates began cheering them on. Jeno took the lead fairly quickly while Felix and Junyoung were racing head on head with a minimal distance to the big black wolf. </p><p>Felix took the lead in the curves but quickly lost it again to Jeno. In the end Jeno won but it was a very close call with Felix. The ginger couldn’t help but jump a little bit, feeling warmed up now. </p><p>“Want to go again?”, Felix challenged Jeno and Junyoung. Before the werewolves could answer the cat hybrid their gym teacher Wonho entered the hall, which meant the actual lesson was starting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Training and snowball fights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The 8B and 7B class of Miroh High training together with A.C.E‘s hyung line.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I hate sports”, Seungmin complained between his sit-ups while also slightly panting. Hyunjin, who kept the redhead’s feet down giggled at that. Everyone knew Seungmin wasn’t a fan of physical exercise, mainly because he could use magic for literally everything but it was still somewhat funny to see the younger complain about it. </p><p>“Stop laughing at me. I never liked sweating and unnecessary movements. Ask Jisung if you don’t believe it”, the redhead said, which made siren giggle again. “Maybe I was laughing at something else”, the black-haired male responded with a smile on his beautiful facial features. Seungmin just snorted. </p><p>A sharp whistle told them they could stop their action and take a short break. Seungmin just stayed on the ground slightly and looking at the high ceiling of the gym. Why did they have sport again? They already had it yesterday. Now, it was Friday, the last day of school before the winter holidays and they were tortured again with physical exercise some people called healthy. Normally they didn’t even have sports on Friday but now they would stay three hours in this damn gym. </p><p>Excited yells were heard that could only belong to a bunch of shapeshifter, who had fun at running around in circles. Seungmin turned his head to the side to look if he was correct and he was but among those excited shapeshifter were four of his friends. Felix, Minho, Changbin and Chan, who currently was a very pretty normal sized grey wolf. They seemed to have fun while exercising or chasing each other around. </p><p>Why they had sports with the class of the hyung line of their group? Nobody knew but nobody asked either. Besides Seungmin had fun at counting how many times Jisung got a little distracted because he was looking at Minho. His current count was thirty-three.   </p><p>Yes, Seungmin was aware of Jisung’s little crush. Not because the warlock told him, no, the redhead just wasn’t blind. Jisung wasn’t as good at hiding stuff as he thought.  </p><p>“Alright. Listen up everybody”, Wonho called to get everybody’s attention. Seungmin sat up and looked to the sports teacher, who was accompanied by two of his colleagues. Chae Hyungwon, the rather quiet transformation teacher stood on Wonho’s right side and Lee Minhyuk Seungmin’s spells and potion teacher stood on the other one. </p><p>Seungmin didn’t really ask himself why those two were also here. He just figured that Wonho maybe needed the back-up because he had to handle two classes at once. </p><p>The whole attention of the gym hall was now on the muscular werewolf. “I know some of you wonder why the schedule for today was changed. Well, we have guests for the following two lessons, who will teach you some useful combat skills. Please welcome Park Junhee, Lee Donghun and Kim Sehyoon better known as Wow of the group A.C.E”, Wonho announced. </p><p>After this three handsome males entered the gym and some students loudly gasped. This really were three members of one of the strongest combat groups in the supernatural world. They were literal aces in their field and known for an ridiculous amount of strength for a five member group. </p><p>Seungmin noticed that some of the students behind him giggled but his focus laid on the three A.C.E members. Park Junhee was the leader of A.C.E and a powerful dryad. It was said that no one could manipulate the force of nature better than him but he was also a very talented healer. The vine tattoo, which was trailing up his arms were very prominent, which was a sign for the incredible amount of power he held. </p><p>Lee Donghun, the male with the reddish brown hair on Junhee’s right, was a harpy. Untransformed he looked rather harmless but once he had shifted there was no one quicker in the air than him. Even for a harpy he had a lot power in his wings but you also didn’t want to take a punch from him. </p><p>Kim Sehyoon, better known as Wow, was the warlock with the white hair to Junhee’s left. Seungmin probably knew the most about him because he was one of the strongest magical creatures in the supernatural world. He hadn’t been recognized for a long time because of the many incredible one of a kind magical creatures such as Lee Taeyong, Nakamoto Yuta, Kim Youngjo or the tree barrier mages of GOT7 but in the end he had proven himself to think outside of the box. He was known for a quick fighting style, which combined spells for combat and spells, which enhanced speed or strength. Some even called him unpredictable due his quick thinking in battle and the amount of spell combinations he could use. If Seungmin could train with him for even an hour he would be blessed. </p><p>“Thanks for the little introduction, Wonho”, Junhee thanked the gym teacher politely, which the werewolf responded to with a little smile. Junhee then turned his attention to the students, who became absolutely silent the minute he faced them. </p><p>“The majority of you may already know plenty of stuff about us. Maybe because of our lovable Maknae or maybe because you were interested in learning some combat techniques”, he said which caused some to laugh. </p><p>Seungmin again noticed the students behind him whispering but now he knew why because shortly after he heard the whispering a male with brown hair walked by him. It was Kang Yuchan, the youngest member of A.C.E, who was in the same class with Byungho, Chan, Minho and Changbin.</p><p>Seungmin knew him because he belonged to a rather rare species called Ala, which was said to be the closest thing to a demon. Even though Seungmin thought that was a little exaggeration. Alas couldn’t enter hell, make deals or use dark magic without consequences and they didn’t have a devil’s tail. They only had a pair of small horns on the top of their head and could control the weather, which was a powerful ability if it was used right but that was it. A part of Seungmin always wished he would have been born as an Ala instead of an actual demon. </p><p>The redhead must have looked sad, while watching how Yuchan proudly walked up to his hyungs with a smile. He didn’t even hear their further introductions because he just thought how much easier his life would have been if he wasn’t a damn demon. </p><p>Suddenly Seungmin felt an arm on his shoulders. He looked to the side and was faced with a smiling Hyunjin, who seemingly had noticed Seungmin was feeling a little sad and wanted to cheer the younger up. </p><p>“Don’t be sad, Seungminnie”, the siren whispered. “Smile”, he added and poked the redhead’s cheek with the pointer finger of his free hand. He had a bright and a little goofy smile on his lips while his eyes shone a little in the light of the gym hall. </p><p>It was like an automatic reaction, which Seungmin barely noticed but a tiny smile made its way on the redhead’s lips, which let Hyunjin only smile even wider. “Better. You look cuter when you smile”, the siren stated, which earned him a little hit in the ribs from Seungmin’s elbow. </p><p>“Hyung stop flirting with Seungmin. We need to get in our groups”, Jeongin suddenly said from behind the two, which startled both of them. Hyunjin more than Seungmin. “Then stop scary people, you little brat”, Hyunjin huffed, stood up and started chasing Jeongin, who started running away when Hyunjin made an attempt to stand up. </p><p>Seungmin just looked after them in amusement. He had great friends. They still hung out with him and were there for him when he needed them even though he never properly explained what happened two days ago. He was just glad they never asked either. </p><p>“Dude if you keep staring at Hyunjin he will notice”, Seungmin heard Jisung say beside him with an amused undertone. Seungmin got scared a little bit but quickly hid the reaction because he would never admit that. </p><p>“Well, at least I didn’t stare at him thirty-three times in one hour”, the redhead sassed back and looked up to his best friend, who turned slightly red. “I don’t know what you are talking about”, he said defensively and crossed his arms. Seungmin only laughed at that. Jisung knew damn well what he was talking about.  </p><p>“In which group are we by the way? I didn’t pay attention when they announced it”, the redhead said after he stopped laughing. “Why would I tell you, you meanie?”, the blue-haired male questioned and slightly glared at Seungmin but the redhead knew that it was more of a playful glare. </p><p>“Because I am your best friend since middle school”, Seungmin answered and grinned. “I hate you”, Jisung stated, clearly not meaning it. “No, you love me like a brother”, the redhead responded and stretched his hand out, so the warlock could pull him up, which he did. </p><p>“You are lucky you are right”, Jisung huffed. Seungmin only smiled cheekily at that. “We will train with Wow and Minhyuk, meaning you can show off again with your excellent fighting spells you never got to use before”, the blue-haired warlock said and started to walk towards their assigned group. Seungmin followed him already feeling excited because he got to train with Wow but he didn’t let it show and instead cleared his throat. </p><p>“I taught you some of the combat skills I picked up on didn’t I?”, the redhead rhetorically asked, looking at his best friend. Seungmin had come across a book with some combat spells once and self taught himself the basics, so he had a good foundation if they ever learned something similar in school but the main motivation was teaching them to Jisung, so the warlock could learn to defend himself. </p><p>“Alright point taken you did teach me but you can still show of because we both know, who is better at stuff like that”, Jisung responded. Seungmin wanted to say something against that but he was interrupted by someone putting their arms around Jisung and him. </p><p>“Didn’t you forget me?”, Jeongin said and he didn’t sound very happy. “Well, I thought Hyunjin would get you”, Seungmin responded, grinning at bit at the blond kitsune. Jeongin snorted, let go of them and walked between them. </p><p>“You underestimate me”, the blond stated with a huff. “We would never”, Seungmin and Jisung mockingly answered in union. </p><p>“Stop picking on the Maknae”, they suddenly heard Byungho yell, which made them slightly jump and turn their head towards the older male, who walked towards them followed by a male with lilac-grayish hair and pointy ears, which indicated that he was an elf. </p><p>Elves weren’t really magical creatures, even though they could summon weapons made of light and use an ancient form of written magic called runes. They were considered to be creatures with natural abilities like dryads and sirens but mainly they were healers. </p><p>“We weren’t picking on him”, Jisung whined, trying to defend himself and Seungmin. “I know what I saw, Jisung”, Byungho responded, not believing the warlock. Seungmin huffed, knowing that Byungho was just a bit too blinded to see that Jeongin wasn’t as innocent as he thought. </p><p>“Who is your friend, hyung?”, Jeongin chimed in, looking absolutely innocent while focusing on the elf beside Byungho. Seungmin also directed his gaze onto the male beside his older brother and recognize him as Lee Hyunjun, one of Byungho’s classmates, who he sometimes studied with for subjects he didn’t share with Chan. </p><p>“Oh that’s Lee Hyunjun. He is my classmate”, Byungho introduced the elf to Jisung and Jeongin. Hyunjin smiled politely. “Nice to meet you”, Hyunjun greeted them. He seemed sympathetic and very nice, which was probably one of the reasons why Byungho and he were friends. They had a similar personality.</p><p>Seungmin noticed the symbol on Hyunjun’s right wrist. It was the symbol of IZ, the group one of his classmates was part of. What was his name again? Lee Junyoung? Yeah, it was Lee Junyoung. The werewolf, who raced with Felix and Jeno yesterday.</p><p>“The five of you should hurry up and get over here”, the five heard Minhyuk call for them, so they cut their little conversation short and hurried to their group. Seungmin’s mind immediately switched to the lesson when he saw Minhyuk stand beside Wow. He hoped dearly that Wow would at some point show off his unique magical skills, so Seungmin could try to copy him or just overall learn from watching him. </p><p>———————————</p><p>“Again”, Donghun said to Chan, who had tried to perform a special combat technique on the male with the brown reddish hair, which had previously been shown. The rest of the group trained the move with partners while being supervised by Wonho. Chan had also previously trained the move with Minho but now it was his turn to show if he had already mastered it by performing it on Donghun. </p><p>It was hard going through with the move while being paired with Donghun, because firstly he knew the move probably better than anyone in this hall and he was a harpy, meaning Chan was a little bit scared of the gigantic claws, that were now Donghun’s feet. Couldn’t he turn back into his human-form for this move? </p><p>“Come on, Chan. I know you can do it”, Donghun reassured Chan, because he became a little bit worried when Chan hesitated so long. The grey wolf nodded as answer since he couldn’t talk in his wolf from unlike the werwolves. He jumped back a little so he had enough room to perform the move again. He slightly ducked and made himself ready to dash forward while his eyes never left Donghun. </p><p>Chan waited a little bit, then he dashed forward, targeting Donghun’s right side but it was a feint. He was actually targeting the harpy’s left side. When he was close enough Chan jumped to the side, dodging Donghun’s “hit” and touched the harpy’s left side with his nose, which served as a replacement for a bite, which could do a lot of damage. </p><p>Donghun grinned. “Now that was great”, the harpy praised. “You would have probably got me in a real fight”, he added. Chan would have smiled brightly if he was in his human form but he still seemed very happy as a wolf with his wagging tail and sparkling dark eyes. </p><p>“Alright everybody. Listen up”, Minhyuk called. Everybody stopped their previous action and turned their attention towards the warlock. “Sadly the two hours are already over. Let’s thank Junhee, Donghun and Wow with an applause for training with us”, he announced and of course the three members of A.C.E got a pretty loud applause paired with some little howls from the shapeshifters who couldn’t clap. </p><p>After that everybody was wished each other a nice Christmas and New year and Wonho allowed everybody to change back into their normal cloths and go home after that. </p><p>“It’s funny seeing you as a wolf, Chan”, Minho commented when he, Felix, Changbin and Chan walked towards the changing rooms. Chan turned his head towards the cat hybrid, thinking that he probably thought it was funny because he wasn’t able to talk like a human. </p><p>“Well I didn’t think that cat hybrids also had glowing cat eyes that only showed themselves when they were fighting”, Changbin chimed in. Felix only grinned. “It’s cool, right?”, he questioned proudly. Changbin nodded, which made Felix’s grin become a little wider. </p><p>Chan had to go to a different locker room than Felix, Changbin and Minho because he was a kind of shapeshifter unlike them. </p><p>After changing everybody of their friend group met up. Everybody was excited to talk about the things they just learned. Jeongin was probably the most excited because he had received training from Donghun and Wow because kitsunes were magical creatures but also had natural increased strength, agility and speed. </p><p>The friends walked out of the school, dressed in their winter coats and boots because it was lightly snowing again. It made Yellow Wood look like a winter wonderland if you didn’t pay attention to the muddy snow on the streets created by the passing cars. </p><p>Jeongin couldn’t stop talking about the great moves he had learned with Donghun and Wow. It was endearing to watch in Chan’s opinion. The blond was jumping around excitedly along with Felix until he was hit on the head with a snowball thrown by non other than Kim Seungmin. </p><p>—————————</p><p>“You just declared war”, Jeongin said, when he narrowed his eyes at the redhead. “At least you stopped talking for a second”, Seungmin smirked and formed the next snowball. Jeongin let his backpack slip off his shoulders and waited for Seungmin to throw the snowball he had in his hand. </p><p>Because of that the two of them didn’t notice what was going on behind their back. Next thing they knew a lot of snow was dumped on their heads by Jisung and Felix. </p><p>“Ahh. I thought you were my friend”, Seungmin said to Jisung, who was laughing. The redhead decided the snowball in his hand was better fitted for the warlock than Jeongin and threw it at him. Jisung shrieked, when the snowball hit his shoulder. </p><p>Jeongin had revenged himself in the meantime. He also had dumped a lot of snow on Felix’s head. Felix shuddered and shook his head to get the snow of his beanie. </p><p>The rest of the group just watched the four. “How old are they? Five?”, Changbin questioned before someone put a little bit of snow in the back of his jacket, making the vampire shriek when he felt it drip down his back. </p><p>The someone was Hyunjin, who now giggled earning him a glare from the vampire. “Alright. You didn’t you wanted it any other way”, Changbin said before using his supernatural speed to do the same action Hyunjin previously did to him. The siren let out a high pitched shriek, which made Chan and Minho cover the ears.  </p><p>But the point was reached were everybody dropped their school bags and started to throw snowballs at each other. Good thing they were close to a little park and not too close to the street. </p><p>At some point in this messy snowball fight Felix didn’t really watch were he was going. He just threw a snowball at Seungmin, while running backwards, when he turned around again, so he wasn’t running into a tree, he elegantly ran into a person instead, making himself and the person fall into the snow. </p><p>Luckily Felix caught himself with his hands, so he didn’t fall onto the person full force. Well, the person he ran into was Jeongin, who now looked up at him with wide dark eyes while being pressed into the cold snow. Their faces weren’t really far apart and neither of them made a move change that. They simply looked at each other like they didn’t know what else to do. </p><p>Felix heart thumped against his ribcage like he just ran ten marathon, which he was sure it shouldn’t do after the little sprint he did. Maybe something was wrong with him? </p><p>He snapped out of his little daze and finally realized that he had ran into Jeongin full force. “By all gods. I’m so sorry”, he apologized with a pink tint on his cheeks, caused by the heat on them. He immediately got off Jeongin. </p><p>“I-I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you okay?”, he asked with worry in his voice while he stood up and put his hand out for Jeongin to grab. The blond slowly blinked, then shook his head. </p><p>“I am fine. Don’t worry”, the kitsune said with a smile and grabbed Felix’s hand so the ginger could pull him up. “Are you sure?”, the cat hybrid asked again, not letting go of the blond’s hand. Jeongin nodded with a smile patted some snow off himself. </p><p>“Everything okay with you two?”, they heard Byungho ask in a louder voice, so they could hear him even though they had some distance between them. “We are fine, hyung”, Jeongin answered, still smiling. </p><p>“Hey, Felix. We should get going. Mum just texted me and said she and dad are coming home for Christmas”, Minho called. “Alright I am coming”, the ginger responded and let go of Jeongin’s hand so he could get his backpack. </p><p>The snowball fight was over with that and everybody bid their goodbye and parted ways. Felix’s fast beating heart had calmed down pretty fast after Jeongin wasn’t around him anymore. That was strange. Had Jeongin something to do with it? Felix wasn’t really sure.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Between danger and normality</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>While GOT7 struggles with problems much bigger than someone could imagine, Jeongin’s only concern is figuring out how he feels about Felix.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Alright. Let me go over this again. You didn’t notice that someone was there while you were fixing the barrier and you also didn’t notice them filming you?”, a male with black hair summarized what was said beforehand while pacing up and down in his office. He looked stressed, maybe even a little angry and that didn’t help the second male in the room. </p><p>The second male was seated on a chair in front of the large desk made of glass, the other was walking up and down behind it. The blue hair of the second male was a little tousled and his eyes were fixed on his lap. He didn’t dare to look into the face of the male with the black hair, who was his leader, fearing that he would only see anger and disappointment because he screwed up big time. </p><p>The male with the black hair exhaled deeply and stopped his pacing, noticing that it wasn’t helping at all. He looked out of the big window on his right side. It had a beautiful view on Yellow Wood because the office was at one of the top floors of the building. The roofs of the houses were covered under a thick but still light blanket of snow. It looked ethereal and peaceful, even though the male with the black hair knew that everything slowly got out of hand. One wrong move and the supernatural world would be exposed to the humans, which he would feared would result in fight no one could win. </p><p>“Listen, Youngjae”, the male with the black hair began and turned around to face the young man with the blue hair. “I know you didn’t mean to be seen like that”, he continued and glanced at the screen of his computer, which was on his desk, playing a video of Youngjae fixing the barrier that hide the supernatural world. “And I also know that this was just one big accident and that you are aware of the consequences this could cause but I seriously don’t know what to do or how to protect you if this video is the kickstarter for something nobody wants to happen”, he ended and seated himself on his big black swivel chair because he began to feel tired. </p><p>“I know”, the warlock in front of the glass desk almost whispered. “I am sorry, Jaebum-hyung”, he apologized yet again. Jaebum looked at Youngjae, who looked guilty, sad and terrified at the same time. It made the older male feel bad because usually the warlock was a little sunshine with an adorable smile. He wanted to open his mouth again to say something to comfort the warlock a little bit but before he could the door of the office was slammed open by two rather young looking males. One had dark brown hair while the other, taller one had black hair. </p><p>“Whatever you accuse him of having done, he didn’t do it”, the one with the dark brown hair immediately said when Jaebum’s gaze landed on the two young males, while walking to Youngjae and wrapping his arms around him from behind in a rather protective manner. The brunette didn’t break eye contact with Jaebum for even a second. </p><p>“It was probably just an accident or something, so you can’t punish him for that. It wasn’t his fault”, the tall male with the black hair added and looked at the man behind the desk. There was a worried glimmer in the eyes of the tall male but Jaebum was sure that it wouldn’t stop him from from doing whatever was needed to protect Youngjae. </p><p>Jaebum sighed and rubbed his temples. Footsteps could be heard and soon after that three other males entered the office. One of them had almost white hair, one black and the third also black but with a lot of light blue strains. </p><p>“Sorry, Jaebum. We couldn’t stop them”, the male with the nearly white hair explained being a bit out of breath. “It’s alright, Jackson”, Jaebum dismissed and turned his attention to Youngjae again, who was still wrapped up in an protective back-hug by the male with the dark brown hair. He hadn’t moved a muscle but Jaebum noticed that the presence of the two younger males was enough to somehow comfort the warlock. </p><p>“Bambam could you let go of Youngjae, please”, Jaebum said the male with the dark brown hair but he didn’t budge. “Only if I can be sure you won’t do anything to him”, Bambam answered and he wasn’t joking one bit, which was unlike him. Jaebum sighed again, feeling his head hurt a little.</p><p>“Listen, I would never do anything to Youngjae. Promise. Who do you think I am?”, Jaebum said and was a little bit concerned about the sudden distrust the younger male showed him but maybe that was just his wolf side talking. Youngjae was his newly found mate after all. </p><p>Bambam slowly let go of Youngjae and stood next to Yugyeom, the tall male with the black hair, who entered the office with him and was also his mate. It was rare to have two mates, yes, but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. </p><p>Yugyeom had known, that he had two mates as soon as he had picked up Bambam’s and Youngjae’s scent for the first time. Being a werewolf was quiet handy, when it came to finding your mate - or in this case - mates. He was the main reason for the current relationship of the three young man, even though it took them some time to get there.</p><p>In the beginning Yugyeom was dating Bambam and Youngjae at the same time with their consent but those two weren’t dating yet because Bambam for example thought only Yugyeom was his mate. He was a wolf hybrid and could only tell who his mate was by lip contact, which made it harder for him to figure out that he didn’t have only one mate but well, accidents happen and not long ago he kissed Youngjae because he lost a bet and boom he was hit with the realization that he had two mates. </p><p>Youngjae had been pretty confused about the mate thing in the beginning because he was a warlock and didn’t have an option to find his destined partner, which he claimed was unfair but he could never deny the crush he had on both Bambam and Yugyeom. Well, destiny was his friend in that point and he ended up being in a relationship with both younger males. </p><p>Yugyeom and Bambam watched Jaebum carefully, when he stood up from his chair and walked around the glass desk to get to the rest of his group members. Jaebum really asked himself what he had ever done to them to let them be so vary about him right now. </p><p>“From now on we have to be extra careful, when we repair the barrier because we don’t want to repeat what happened hundreds of years ago. We can’t be seen by the human eye. It would only fuel a suspicion they already have. Does everybody understand that?”, Jaebum asked and looked more at his group members with magical abilities, meaning everybody expect Bambam and Yugyeom. </p><p>Everybody in the room nodded in understanding. They needed to take their responsibility very seriously. After all they were GOT7, the group most responsible for hiding the supernatural world and taking care of the magical barrier, which separated their world from the human one. </p><p>“Alright. Then this unintentional little group meeting is over. You are all dismissed expect for Jackson and Mark. We need to continue talking about getting MonstaX, BTS and A.C.E more involved in the issue with the barrier”, Jaebum dismissed them. Jackson, the man with the white hair, and Mark, the black-haired male with the blue strains both nodded. </p><p>Youngjae stood up silently from his chair  and was immediately dragged out of Jaebum’s office by his two boyfriends, who will probably shower the warlock with affection until he was their little sunshine again. </p><p>“They are almost too protective over him”, Jinyoung, the male with the black hair stated and put his hands on his hips. “Says the overprotective mum”, Mark mocked Jinyoung with a light grin, earning himself a glare from the black-haired warlock. </p><p>“Enough of the bickering. We have important things to discuss”, Jaebum said and seated himself back on his big black swivel chair. “Alright. I will go. See you in the evening. Don’t come home too late”, Jinyoung bid his goodbye and left the office, closing the door behind him. </p><p>“Was the incident with Youngjae that bad?”, Jackson asked after a short silence and let himself fall on one of the black armchairs in the corner of the office, while looking at his leader. Jaebum let out sigh, yet again while rubbing his temples. </p><p>“It was in some way because it got a lot of attention, meaning a lot of humans, who believe the video is real, will be walking around the area where Youngjae was seen and filmed. They will try to find proof for our existence themselves”, Jaebum responded, looking at both Mark and Jackson.</p><p>“If we are not careful this could be the start of a war no one wanted”, the black-haired male added gloomy. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>Seungmin exited his room and walked down the corridors of the Kim mansion, which was void of Christmas decorations even though Christmas Eve was tomorrow. Why you may ask? Well, Seungmin’s father was the devil, the king of hell. Do you think he would want to celebrate the birth of the gods’ loved son, who was now also a god?  </p><p>The young demon was entirely used to not celebrate Christmas, even though he knew Byungho and Woosu celebrate it every year with their mothers. They would always drive away for it of course, so they didn’t anger Lucifer in any way. The redhead didn’t know if Samuel and his mother would celebrate it too or if they would just stay at home and pretend they never heard of Christmas like Seungmin and Wonpil. </p><p>It was kind of sad but the demon brothers would always give each other a present on Christmas Eve and call it an “accident”. Their mother Lilith would always get a bit irritated if he noticed that but it was never bad enough for the two demon brothers to not continue the tradition. </p><p>Seungmin was walking towards Wonpil’s room, mainly because he was bored and wanted someone’s company. Byungho was packing with Eve for their little Christmas holiday and Woosu did probably the same with his mum, so he didn’t want to bother them. Rana and Samuel were shopping together, which left the mansion rather quiet. </p><p>The red-haired demon knocked on his brother’s room door in a special pattern, which lifted the little locking spell he and Wonpil put over the door so it was safer for Wonpil’s friends to visit him. The redhead then entered the room and closed the door behind him. </p><p>“Seungmin is that you?”, Wonpil asked. “Yeah. It’s me”, Seungmin said and walked into the main part of the room, were Wonpil’s bed war located. He was met with a surprise when he saw Woosu sitting in Wonpil’s white armchair. That Dowoon was laying next to his brother on the older demon’s bed, waving at Seungmin as a greeting was a sight the redhead became used to over the last month but they weren’t officially dating. Yet. </p><p>“What are you doing here, Woosu-hyung? I thought you were packing for your little holiday with your mother”, Seungmin asked the warlock with the white hair. Woosu only shrugged. “We are staying here this year. Mum wants to spend some quality time with father”, he explained and rolled his eyes in annoyance. </p><p>“That absolutely sucks”, Wonpil commented and his head dangle upside down from his bed. Seungmin hummed in agreement. Athea always was a bit clingy when it came to Lucifer but it had never gotten to the point where she canceled a holiday with her son just to be around him. </p><p>“I don’t care, honestly. The last few years weren’t really fun since my mother just dragged me away from the home for two weeks to practice magic in another surrounding. This Christmas would probably have been just as exhausting and boring”, Woosu stated, laying back a little. </p><p>“You can always celebrate together with us in secret”, Dowoon chimed in with a mischievous smile plastered on his face. Wonpil raised his head to look at the vampire, who now had the attention of all three Kim brothers. </p><p>“All of you can use magic, so just decorate one of your rooms and put an illusion spell over it”, the vampire suggested. This idea was so stupid and simple it could actually work. Of course there was the risk that the haters of Christmas, which were Lucifer and Lilith would notice but they literally never checked on their children, if there wasn’t an urgent reason for it. </p><p>“This could actually work”, Seungmin mumbled after thinking it over. His two brothers agreed. Dowoon’s smile widened. “I will bring the decorations then”, he said cheerfully. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>Jeongin tossed around in his bed, like he had been doing almost all morning. The snowball fight happened the day prior and the kitsune could stop think about his little incident with Felix. The picture of Felix towering over him wasn’t getting out of his head. He couldn’t forget that the cat hybrid had been close enough for Jeongin to count all of the freckles on the ginger’s face. </p><p>The blond groaned in frustration. He was a confused teenager, who wanted answers. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about this certain event? Why did he want to hug Felix out of nowhere and never let him go? What was this strange feeling in his chest whenever he thought about the cat hybrid with the ginger hair? </p><p>Jeongin had enough of that. He needed answers for the gods’ sake before he became insane and he knew only one way to get them this instant. </p><p>The blond got up from his bed, walked out of his room and straight to Hyunjin’s door. He knocked on the light wood, hoping his cousin wasn’t busy. “Hyung? I need your help with something”, he said, sounding a little bit whiny. </p><p>The door was opened by the siren shortly after that. “What’s wrong?”, he asked when Jeongin entered the room and he closed the door behind the blond. </p><p>The kitsune sat down on his cousin’s bed and looked him in the eyes. “I need you to tell me my sexuality and my current crush”, Jeongin said pretty straight forward. Hyunjin blinked a couple of times in pure confusion. “You want me to do what?”, the siren asked, thinking he misheard the kitsune. </p><p>“I want to know my sexuality and my current crush. I know that you can tell me that, hyung”, the blond slightly whined. Hyunjin walked over to the fox spirit and sat down beside him. “Innie, we already had this talk once with Mum. You know I shouldn’t tell you because it can have consequences”, the siren reminded the younger, which only made him pout. </p><p>Sirens had the ability to instantly know other person’s crushes and their sexual preference. It was a kind of natural instinct for them to notice, considering that sirens along with nymphs were specialized in seducing other creatures and humans in the ancient times since they were their only prey. If they didn’t have this ability they would have starved. Luckily nowadays sirens ate like any normal person, making this ability practically useless and even a bit dangerous if handled unprofessional. </p><p>“Of course I know about the consequences but I need that information now or I am going insane”, the younger now fully whined, looking at his cousin with puppy eyes. “But why?”, Hyunjin asked and looked at the younger confused, seemingly being immune to the other’s puppy eyes. Jeongin internally gave up with trying to win his cousin over by being cute and decided to try it with honesty.<br/>The kitsune sighed looking away from his cousin, focusing his gaze on his lap. “I don’t know how to feel about Felix since yesterday”, Jeongin mumbled. For a short moment the blond wanted to play with one of his rings out of habit but he was wearing none of them at the moment, so awkwardly placed his hands on his lap. </p><p>Hyunjin seemingly noticed this action and sighed. It sounded like he was giving in, which let Jeongin raise his gaze a little bit. The siren seemed to debate for a bit before opening his mouth to speak.</p><p>“Alright I will tell you but don’t do anything stupid with that information”, Hyunjin said a little bit more to himself than to the younger. Jeongin fully raised his head, looking at his cousin in anticipation. </p><p>The siren took a breath before continuing. “As far as I can tell you are demisexual and you have a sort of crush on Felix”, the siren explained. Jeongin tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why sort of crush?” he asked. “It’s a little hard to explain but you and Felix share a kind of bond, which becomes stronger over time as far as I can tell. I only saw this a couple of times. Minho and Jisung for example share a similar bond and so do Byungho and Chan but I really don’t know what this connection really means”, the siren explained. Then a realization began to glimmer in his eyes. </p><p>“Please forget the last part”, he immediately said but Jeongin was already grinning widely. “Never”, the blond answered, got up and bolted out of the room. “By all gods”, Jeongin could hear Hyunjin swear behind him. </p><p>Finally he had an answer to his problem and even knew a bit more. Maybe it was even the thing Felix tried to hide from him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Cut</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung goes on a walk in the park since he doesn’t celebrate Christmas Eve, only to accidentally walk through a little cut.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Today was Christmas Eve. A day were families came together and celebrated the birth of the gods’ mortal son, to celebrate the love within a family and to strengthen the relationships between each and every creature. Sadly not everyone had something he would call family. That was why Han Jisung walked around the Young Wing Park. Alone. </p><p>His uncle had left this morning and Jisung knew he wasn’t coming back until tomorrow. He had no idea were his uncle went but the young warlock didn’t really care either. </p><p>Jisung had his hands buried in the pockets of his coat and his nose and mouth were covered by his scarf. He walked through the park without having a real goal but he couldn’t help but notice how nearly nobody was here. Occasionally there were some children with there parents but the warlock avoided them, knowing that it would hurt him to see the fond looks in the eyes of the parents when they watch there children play happily in the snow. </p><p>A sign escaped the warlock’s lips. Sometimes he wished he knew how it was to be a happy child with parents, who loved him with all their heart. Without really realizing it, he gripped onto the phone in his coat’s pocket a little harder. He had sent messages back and forth with Minho before he went on his walk but the older had to prepare some things with his parents for Christmas Eve. Jisung had pretended to be fine and even lied about having to prepare for Christmas Eve too. </p><p>Jisung was aware of the fact, that only Seungmin knew nearly everything about his family. Of course at some point he mentioned that he was living with his uncle but he never explained the why and how. Meaning Minho and the rest of his friends were still pretty much in the dark about his family situation. </p><p>And again a sigh left the young warlock’s lips. He considered telling Minho everything about him at some point but he was too scared to do it just yet. He continued to think about things like that while strolling through the Young Wing Park.</p><p>Suddenly Jisung felt a changed in the atmosphere around him. It ripped him out of his thoughts and made him look around. A lot more people were now in the park but they all looked normal. No one of them had animal ears, wings, a tail, different colored hair or glowing eyes. </p><p>They looked more human than a supernatural creature ...</p><p>Some children were playing in the snow not far from Jisung, while being watched by some adults. A young pair walked around hand in hand and a woman, who was obviously busy talking to someone on her phone while also holding her little daughter’s hand, stood only some feet away from Jisung. They all looked like human. There just was no sign of animal traits, special eyes or something like that. Besides they all came out of nowhere like someone changed the scene!</p><p>“Look mummy that boy with the blue hair came out of nowhere”, the little girl, which was holding her mother’s hand said and tugged at the woman’s coat to get her attention while also pointing at Jisung. The warlock began to slowly panic, feeling his heartbeat speed up to the point where he could hear it in his ears. </p><p>This was just a bad dream, right? He didn’t walk through the barrier that hid and protected his world, right? This girl was just joking, right? </p><p>The mother looked to Jisung without putting the phone away from her ear. Her eyes were normal shade of dark brown, she was surely not supernatural creature. Out of panic Jisung swirled around and walk back were he came from in hopes of this just not being real but he stopped in his tracks when he noticed a small cut in the air. He stared at the little cut like it told him the secrets of the universe. </p><p>“I am in the human world”, was the only thought in his head while staring at the little cut. Jisung knew this little slit in mid air was a cut in the barrier, which was supposed to hide his world because he could feel strong magical energy radiating from it. What should he do? He couldn’t just go through the little cut again because he would disappear in front of the eyes of a bunch of humans, which could have fatal consequences for the whole supernatural world. </p><p>The warlock felt himself breathing quickly. So he was stuck here? Would he have to stay in the human world until it was save to go through the little cut in the barrier? He didn’t know anything about magical barriers, he wasn’t Seungmin! He had no clue how they worked! What should he do when someone closed the cut while he was waiting for the right moment to return to his world? Would he be stuck in the human world all alone forever? No soul would know where he was! What should he do? </p><p>Jisung didn’t notice how fast his breathing had become and how caught up he was in his head until he felt someone’s featherlight touch his shoulder. He flinched away from whoever this person was out of pure instinct. The warlock’s scared eyes meet the calm light brown ones of a beautiful woman with long brown hair and a perfect sculpted cheekbones. She stood not far as from him and was apparently the person, who had touched his shoulder. </p><p>“It’s okay. I am on your side”, the woman whispered in a very gentle tone. Jisung was still in panic. His breathing didn’t calm down one bit and his eyes were wide with fear. The woman mustered Jisung for a moment with sympathy in her eye and then continued talking in her gentle tone. </p><p>“I am Jeon Somin of K.A.R.D and I just want to help you get back to our world without being noticed or harmed in any way”, she explained softly. Her eyes held warmth and comfort. It somehow calmed Jisung down. Somin stretched out her hand, so Jisung could grab it if he liked and he did. </p><p>The warlock’s panic state disappeared into thin air, when his hand came in contact with Somin’s. She only smiled warmly, when Jisung looked at her with confusion in his eyes. She then turned her head away from the warlock. </p><p>“Jiwoo I got him”, she called out to someone but Jisung saw no one. “Great because I am slowly getting tried”, a female voice answered. Jisung couldn’t detect where the voice was coming from and there was no one around, who could have talked to them. </p><p>Suddenly a woman with blond hair with a lilac touch and faded violet fairy wings appeared in midair. Jisung slightly jumped at her sudden appearance before he realized that they were still in the human world, which made him look around panicked.</p><p>That was the moment he noticed that nothing around him was moving, like someone stopped time. “What-?”, Jisung wanted to ask but Somin interrupted him. “Ask questions later. We need to get back first”, she said in a rather firm tone and pulled the warlock towards the little cut in midair. </p><p>Somin walked through the cut and dragged Jisung with her. The warlock felt a change in the atmosphere again and saw how his surroundings morphed a little before he felt that he was back in the safety of the barrier. </p><p>After Jisung and Somin, Jiwoo went through the cut and closed it. Her hand glowed in a warm lilac light when she repaired the barrier. She released a breath after everything was back to normal and the cut in midair had disappeared. </p><p>“Good thing nobody really noticed us because I think Matthew wouldn’t have been pleased to hear he has to whip some memories again”, Jiwoo commented and Somin agreed with a hum and a nod. “He wouldn’t have shut up about his headache”, the brown-haired woman added, which made Jiwoo laugh lightly before the attention of the two women turned to Jisung. </p><p>The young warlock was still confused as hell. He even forgot where he wanted to start asking questions because a lot was swirling around in his head now but he was ripped out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice behind him. </p><p>“Jisung, Somin, Jiwoo”, the young warlock heard a cheery voice call for the three. The blue-haired male turned around, automatically letting go of Somin’s hand and saw his spells and potions teacher Minhyuk run towards him and the two women. He was followed by two males, who looked a little younger than him. Maybe by one or two years. One of them had very light brown hair, which almost looked like faded orange with flowers in it. Jisung remember him as Minhyuk’s boyfriend Lee Jooheon, who was also known as the music producer Joohoney. He sometimes taught music at Miroh High. Jisung didn’t know the other male with the dark brown hair though. He looked kind of intimidating to Jisung with his black clothing, silver piercing and cold pokerface. </p><p>“Everything alright with the three of you?”, the older warlock asked when he came to a halt near the three younger creatures. A little concern was heard in his voice even though he seemed happy and cheery like always. </p><p>“Don’t worry, Minhyuk-oppa. We got everything covered”, Jiwoo answered and showed a sweet smile. Minhyuk returned that smile before his gaze laid itself on Jisung, who looked still confused a little spooked. He still needed some time to process what was going on right now. </p><p>“Should we bring you home, Jisung?”, Minhyuk asked with a gentler voice. “I-I am fine. Don’t worry”, the young male slightly stuttered, letting his head snap to his teacher. Nobody of the older creatures seemed convinced but before anyone could say anything further all of their cellphone made a ping sound, which seemed to be a signal for all of them. </p><p>“Why can’t the cuts stop showing up?”, Jiwoo mumbled to herself but Jisung could hear her clearly and it scared him. She got out her phone for a short moment, looked at it and then put it back into the pocket of her coat. </p><p>“This is going to be a long day”, Somin huffed, having done the same thing as Jiwoo. “See you another time, oppas. Take care Jisung for us”, Somin quickly bid her goodbye while Jiwoo waved and began hovering over the floor. Her fairy wings vibrated like the ones of a hummingbird. She stretched her hand out for Somin to grab and the other woman did this so casually that you could see how long they must have been a team. Next thing you knew the two women were up in the air and gone. </p><p>“Minhyuk we need to go too”, Jooheon said and he seemed a little bit worried. Minhyuk exhaled deeply. “I know”, he said, his gaze wandering back to Jisung, who still desperately tried to wrap his head around the current situation. </p><p>“Jisung”, Minhyuk called softly for the young warlock. Jisung jumped a little because he had gotten lost in his own head once more. He looked spooked to his teacher. “Would it be okay for you if Changkyun stayed with you? Just to make sure you are okay”, the older warlock asked nodding in the direction of the male dressed in all black. </p><p>Jisung looked at the male he labeled as intimidating, who now showed a tiny, sympathetic smile. “Trust me when I say he only looks intimidating but is a huge softie on the inside”, Minhyuk whispered to the blue-haired male making him chuckle a little but he didn’t miss the affection that was laying underneath the words of his teacher. </p><p>“It’s alright then. Thanks, Minhyuk-hyung”, Jisung answered. Minhyuk ruffled his blue hair with a smile. “That puts my mind at ease. Don’t be afraid to ask Changkyun anything”, the older warlock added. </p><p>Shortly after that Minhyuk bid his goodbye to Changkyun, giving the dark-haired male a short kiss on the lips casually and then teleported himself somewhere along with Jooheon with the help of a portal spell. </p><p>Jisung just blinked a bit in confusion. He knew that his potions and spells teacher had a boyfriend, which he always assumed was Jooheon but right now he was doubting that. What had he missed or did he just mistook Jooheon for Minhyuk’s boyfriend but in reality it was Changkyun? </p><p>“Minhyuk and Jooheon are both my boyfriends if that’s the question, which is written all over your face”, Changkyun said and crossed his arms, making him look pretty intimidating again. Jisung was sure if he said one wrong word now he was dead. “G-good to know”, the blue-haired warlock stuttered and internally cursed at himself for doing so. This was a really great start. </p><p>“Should I call Changbin to make you feel better in my presence?”, Changkyun asked after an rather suffocating silence for the both of them. “That would be- Wait. How do you know Changbin?”, Jisung asked, letting his head snap to the older male. Changkyun slightly opened his mouth, so you could see his vampire fangs. Jisung made an “Oh” sound. It wasn’t a secret that the vampire community was well connected, which made it very likely for Changkyun to know Changbin but the warlock slowly got the feeling that literally every vampire knew Changbin for some odd reason. </p><p>Jisung shook his head to get those thoughts out of his head. “I don’t want to disturb Changbin. He is probably celebrating Christmas with his parents”, the warlock stated, letting his gaze focus on the ground while he kicked a bit of snow.  </p><p>“Changbin’s parents are sadly too busy to come home to him for Christmas. He is probably alone at home right now”, the vampire said, which made Jisung feel bad for his vampire friend but also question why Changkyun also knew that. Was the older close to Changbin or was there a different reason? And if they were close why did Changbin never mention it. </p><p>“You seem to know quite a lot about Changbin and his family”, Jisung stated, trying to sound normal and not suspicious or curious. “I do. I used to work with Changbin’s parents”, Changkyun answered calmly. It wasn’t a really satisfying answer for the warlock since it was very vague but it was enough for the moment, so he nodded in understanding. </p><p>“Now let’s visit him. He will probably be very glad to see you”, Changkyun then said and started to just go in a certain direction. Jisung was a little surprised by this sudden action but he followed the older vampire anyway. </p><p>The young warlock caught up to Changkyun and walked beside the older without saying a word. This time the silence was comfortable instead of suffocating. Jisung tried to focus on how beautiful Yellow Wood looked, covered in snow instead of the terrifying memory of being in the human world. </p><p>“I get why Minhyuk-hyung likes you so much”, Changkyun said after a while of just walking silently beside Jisung. The young warlock looked up to the older with a little bit of confusion in his big sky blue eyes. Changkyun broke a bit into a smile when he faced the warlock. </p><p>“You are curious, cheery, you try to cope with everything that is thrown into your way by being optimistic and you care deeply about your friends”, Changkyun evaluated with the little smile on his lips getting just a tiny bit bigger. “Minhyuk is also like that. I think he sees a little bit of himself in you. It makes him want to help and protect you”, the vampire added looking at the young warlock. </p><p>Jisung was a bit stunned because he didn’t really think Changkyun was that observant but apparently the vampire was full of surprises. On the other hand he felt honored by what the vampire said because Minhyuk was just incredible in more than one aspect. He was a very kind and caring person but also an amazingly talented warlock and great teacher. </p><p>“Thank you”, Jisung said a bit shyly. “That’s a big compliment for me then because Minhyuk-hyung is a great teacher and person as well as a very strong and competent warlock”, the blue-haired male added and showed a big smile. This let Changkyun’s smile widen too. </p><p>“You just made me like you too”, the vampire stated and ruffled Jisung’s hair, only for the young warlock to protest a little bit. He wasn’t a child anymore - or at least he thought so - and therefore not everyone should just tousle his hair like he was five. </p><p>The two continued their walk and couldn’t stop talking with each other. Jisung found out that Changkyun was 23 years old, a student at the university near Miroh High and has been dating Jooheon and Minhyuk for about two years. </p><p>Jisung was also really interested in hearing a little bit about the group MonstaX, also known as The X Clan, which Changkyun was a member of along with Jooheon, Minhyuk, Shownu, Kihyun and Hyungwon. </p><p>It was no surprise for Jisung to hear, that his teachers were in a group but he still needed a moment to process this information when Changkyun told him that.</p><p>The vampire also talked about his passion. Rapping and producing music. Jisung was all ears, when the older told him some things about it, like how he often produced music with Jooheon and how much he loved rapping. </p><p>Jisung was so busy with listening to Changkyun talking about music he didn’t notice how the two of them slowly left the city and walked up a path towards a dark castle, which was surrounded by a thick dark forest. </p><p>The warlock only noticed when a owl suddenly flew over their heads, scaring the shit out of Jisung, which let to him interrupting his nice talk with Changkyun to shriek in fright. Quickly the warlock looked around, noticing the unfamiliar surrounding he had been oblivious to while he had talked to the vampire.</p><p>“Where the hell did we go?”, Jisung questioned, looking around in bewilderment once more before his gaze fell back onto Changkyun. “Towards Changbin’s home. Did he never invite you over?”, Changkyun asked with a little bit of amusement in his voice and a little grin on his face. “No...”, the warlock trailed off when he turned his head and his eyes landed on the big, dark castle on the end of the path. </p><p>“Now I understand where his emo side came from”, Jisung mumbled to himself but a little bit too loud because Changkyun heard it, making him chuckle. “Don’t ever tell him that”, the warlock hissed, being a little scared of Changbin’s reaction. “I won’t. Don’t worry”, Changkyun chuckled, having an amused grin on his face. </p><p>The two continued their walk towards the castle. Jisung stop in his tracks at some point to look at the dark building again, while Changkyun continued walking towards the big door made of dark oak wood.</p><p>Jisung stared at the dark stone of the castle. It looked old but something told the warlock that it was quite modern on the inside. Suddenly he heard how the gigantic front door was opened, which made him flinch a little and snap his head towards the door. </p><p>The front door had been opened by Changbin, who was dressed in a cute, pink sweater. “Changkyun-hyung? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your boyfriends for Christmas Eve?”, the black-haired male asked confused. “They are currently busy and Minhyuk told me to take care of Jisung here”, Changkyun explained and nodded in Jisung’s direction, who stood a few feet behind him looking dumbfounded at Changbin. </p><p>There was a silence, when Jisung and Changbin locked eyes. Jisung still couldn’t believe Changbin was wearing a pink sweater and not something black. He had to be dreaming. To make sure he didn’t he pinched himself. He winced a bit but was now convinced that this was reality, which let him have some questions about Changbin. </p><p>“Alright I am not dreaming. Changbin-hyung I have some questions for you. Care to answer them?”, the warlock questioned, looking at his vampire friend.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Christmas Eve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Lee family‘s way of celebrating Christmas is very different from the Kim‘s.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Felix jumped around in the living room, helping his mother, who had come back home along with his father for the holidays, prepare everything for Christmas Eve. A big smile was plastered on the ginger’s face, when he hung some of the Christmas decorations onto the pine-tree, his parents had brought with them just a day prior. </p><p>“Felix, could you bring me the silver Christmas bauble from the box to your right?”, Mrs. Lee asked her son, who answered with a cheery “Okay” and got his mother what she needed in less than a few seconds. His big smile never left his face. Mrs. Lee could only smile fondly at her son and ruffle his ginger hair lovingly when he brought her the sliver Christmas bauble with shining eyes. </p><p>The young cat hybrid lightly laughed, when his mother did that. He really had missed her and his father. Sure, the freedom he got, when they were away to lead their clan was nice and everything but being pampered like that was a little bit better. </p><p>“Do you think Minho-hyung and dad are finished with gift-wrapping the presents?”, Felix asked his mother, when she hung the silver Christmas bauble onto the tree while humming a soft tune. “They would’ve come downstairs again, if they were, honey”, she answered and continued to hum softly. </p><p>Felix mentally agreed with his mother and continued to looking in the boxes with the Christmas decorations. He was searching for a specific red and blue Christmas bauble with golden glitter on it. Minho and Felix had made it together, when they were little and it had become a family tradition to hang it on the Christmas tree. The making this Christmas bauble was also one of Felix’s earliest childhood memories and one he treasured dearly. Still, Felix was unable to find it in the boxes. </p><p>“What are you searching for, honey?”, Mrs. Lee asked after a while and walked over to her younger son, who was still searching for the blue and red Christmas bauble in the many boxes scattered around the living room. </p><p>“I can’t find the Christmas bauble Minho and I made, when we were little”, the young cat hybrid answered with disappointment in his voice. He pouted a little bit and was close to giving him up his search. </p><p>His mother looked over his shoulder into the box. An amused purr erupted from her throat, letting Felix look up to her. “You are searching in the wrong place for it”, she said, which earned her a confused look from her son. She went to the large drawer with the glass door, which was pushed to the wall next to the TV and opened it to get out a little brown box. </p><p>Felix watched his mother’s rather elegant but still casual movements until she stood in front of him again and gave him the little box. The ginger opened the little box and let his smile widen a little bit when he saw the item he was searching for in it. </p><p>“Since when does it have its own little box?”, he questioned his mother when he carefully took the Christmas bauble out of the box, letting the little metal hook wrap around his finger before he turned to hang it onto their Christmas tree. </p><p>“Since I found this little brown box, which seemed to be perfect for the Christmas bauble Minho and you made”, Mrs. Lee chuckled while watching her son fix the position of the special Christmas bauble. Felix giggled and stepped away from the Christmas tree to get a better look at it. The lights they hung on the tree weren’t on yet but even without the little glowing points did the Christmas tree look beautiful in its own unique way. </p><p>“I like him like this”, Felix said while looking at the tree. His eyes were shining like the lights on the tree, if they were turned on. “He does look beautiful, honey”, Mrs. Lee lightly purred and pressed a short kiss on the side of Felix’s head. The ginger couldn’t help but lightly giggle at that. </p><p>It may sound strange to someone, who had no clue about a cat hybrid’s behavior but Felix loved to hear his mother purr lightly in the presence of her family. It made the young male feel loved and protected. Maybe that was because when he was a little child he used to fall a sleep quickly, when he had his head on his mother’s chest while she lightly purred or hummed. The soft vibration of his mother’s chest and listening her heart beat was something that had always calmed Felix down and made him feel sleepy and content. His father had always described this sight as absolutely endearing and had made a lot of pictures when he had had a camera at hand, which was why there were a dozen photographs of Felix sleeping with his head on his mother’s chest. </p><p>“Are you finished decorating the living room?”, Felix could hear his father ask loudly from upstairs. “Yes we are and if you and Minho don’t hurry up we will also have dinner ready before you even come downstairs”, Mrs. Lee answered loudly in a rather playful and a bit teasing tone, which made Felix snicker. </p><p>“I don’t think so, my dear”, Mr. Lee responded. His voice was now nearer and soon enough he came downstairs along with Minho. Both males were packed with presents, which had been rather sloppily wrapped in gift wrap paper. They made their way to the Christmas tree and set the presents down beside it. Mrs. Lee and Felix mustered the presents with an raised eyebrow. They looked like Minho and Mr. Lee had tried really hard to make them look presentable but ended up failing. It was their first year doing this task. Normally Mrs. Lee and/or Felix would do it.</p><p>“Next time we will take care of the presents again”, Mrs. Lee whispered to Felix, who nodded in agreement. Mr. Lee and Minho heard them though. “What’s that’s supposed to mean?”, Minho asked slightly offended but the playfully tone wasn’t to miss. He put his hands on his hips and looking at them with a light tilted head. “Yeah. Explain”, Mr. Lee agreed with his older son and crossed his arms standing beside Minho. </p><p>Mrs. Lee and Felix looked at each other for a brief second and began to laugh, causing them to almost fall. “The gift wrap looks a little bit sloppy”, Mrs. Lee commented while still laughing a little. “It looks like the work of little children”, Felix added trying to contain his laughter and failing miserably. Mr. Lee gasped, acting like he was offended and so did Minho. </p><p>“Alright. Minho take care of your brother while I take care of your mother”, he then said to Minho. “Don’t worry about that, dad”, Minho responded and cracked his knuckles with a playful glint in his eyes. “Oh no. Felix we have to run”, Mrs. Lee said dramatically but also playfully. Soon enough a playful chase was started. </p><p>The atmosphere in the house was as light as it could be. The occasional giggles and playful yells reminded someone of a bunch of happy kids playing with each other, even though the opposite was the case. </p><p>Cat hybrids were often labeled as childish because of such behavior. It had nearly become a stereotype some years back. Of course cat hybrids had a playful nature but that didn’t mean they were childish or immature. They simply kept their “inner child” alive, which resulted in situation like this one were the parents played with their children like they were the same age. </p><p>Mr. Lee had caught his wife at some point in the chase. He had his arms wrapped around her middle and didn’t plan on letting her go, even if she continued to squirm and hit him playfully but weakly. Felix was still chased by his brother, who in the end caught him and pulled him down on the couch. </p><p>“And now say that again with presents”, Minho wanted from his brother, who refused by shaking his head, so Minho began to tickle him. Felix laughed hysterically to the point where he began crying. </p><p>“Mum. Help me. I am being tortured”, the ginger said between his breathless laughs. Minho really had no mercy on him. “That’s what you get for being so mean”, Minho stated, continuing to tickle the ginger with a wide smile on his face. </p><p>“My poor baby is being tortured. Let me go, you evil man”, Mrs. Lee said playfully to her husband trying to get out of his iron grip once more. “You know I will never let you go, dear”, Mr. Lee answered and gave his wife a short kiss on the neck, which made her stop squirming. “Stop making everything so cheesy”, Mrs. Lee answered and lightly elbowed her husband. </p><p>Minho had suddenly stopped tickling Felix and looked over at his parents, who now shared a short sweet kiss on the lips. Felix looked up at his brother being a little bit confused but then caught onto the fact what Minho was probably thinking. Their parents were mates and Minho was probably reminded of the fact that they knew nothing about Minho finding his destined mate in Jisung. </p><p>Felix sat up and slightly tapped his brother’s shoulder, so he would look at him, which he did but before the ginger could say something their father spoke up. “The two of you can go upstairs if you want. Your mother and I will prepare dinner and call you down when it’s finished” he said. This was the perfect opportunity for Felix to drag Minho upstairs and talk to him in private. </p><p>“Alright. We will be upstairs then”, Felix said cheerily and got up from the couch. He dragged Minho along by the older’s arm and made his way upstairs to his room. He closed the door and then faced Minho, who still looked a little bit surprised that his younger brother suddenly dragged him upstairs. </p><p>“You need to tell mum and dad that you found your mate”, Felix then blurt out. Minho raised a brow and crossed his arms defensively. “There is no need to. Not now”, the older dismissed while not looking at his younger brother. Felix huffed for a short moment he wouldn’t let this opportunity pass.</p><p>—————————</p><p>“There is a need”, Felix argued. Minho looked at his brother not feeling very confident right now. Felix had a determined glimmer in his eyes, which let Minho lightly bite his bottom lip, knowing His younger brother wouldn’t let this opportunity pass if he could help it. </p><p>“Jisung is your official boyfriend now, isn’t he? You can’t hide that from them forever. Besides they will recognize his scent on you at some point in the future. Better tell them now than let them find out by themselves”, Felix reasoned and looked directly into his brother’s in the eyes. </p><p>Minho turned his gaze to the side, avoiding eye contact with Felix. He didn’t want to tell his parents just yet. He didn’t feel confident enough to do it. What if they expected him to one day marry a beautiful girl and have a family?</p><p>“I am scared of their reaction to it”, Minho mumbled low. Felix’s ears twitched, when he heard it and his eyes softened. “There is no need to be afraid, hyung. They will probably be excited to hear you found your destined mate with eighteen. They are our parents for the gods’ sake. They love us and we love them”, the ginger said with a softer voice than before. </p><p>The older thought about it for a short moment. He knew his parents loved him and Felix with all their heart but the topic of the mate being of the same gender never really came up, so he didn’t know what to expect at all. He lightly bit his lips again, which Felix noticed. </p><p>“If you feel unsure or insecure. We can do it together if you want” Felix offered and this made Minho look at him in an instant with wide eyes. “You found your mate?”, the older asked without thinking. The ginger only laughed and shook his head. “But I am pretty sure I am not only into girls”, he said and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Knew it”, Minho laughed lightly, which earned him a glare from his brother. </p><p>Suddenly Felix stuck his pinky out. Minho stopped laughing and looked a little surprised at Felix’s pinky and then the younger’s face, who looked rather serious. “And should everything go to shit we will still have each other”, the ginger said and he meant it. Minho couldn’t help but lightly grin at that. His little brother had seemingly changed a little bit since the start of the school year. He linked his pinky with Felix’s. </p><p>“Forever and always”, the older promised. “Forever and always”, Felix repeated. </p><p>————————————————</p><p>“Seungmin. Would you mind if I locked those two up in a wardrobe?”, Woosu asked his younger redheaded half brother, while they both hung up some Christmas decoration from Dowoon, which the vampire had brought around three hours ago. The warlock’s gaze was focused Wonpil and Dowoon, who obviously flirted with each other. They have been doing that for the last two hours and it was in some way very frustrating to watch, considering they weren’t dating. </p><p>Samuel sadly couldn’t join in on this fun because he went away with his mother to celebrate Christmas Eve, like Byungho and Eve but they kind of did it in the last minute. </p><p>“You know what? I wouldn’t mind at all”, Seungmin responded to Woosu’s question and fixated the decoration on the wall with a short spell and also casted an illusion over it. One of the two older males should finally bring up the courage to confess. They were so obviously in love with each other it hurt. </p><p>“I hate the fact that they aren’t dating”, Woosu added and also fixated the decoration he had in his hand on the wall, casting an illusion spell over it as well. “Same here. It’s just painful to watch. One of them should finally get the courage up to ask the other out”, the redhead agreed while nodding. </p><p>Woosu seemed to think about that for a short while. “Maybe we can get them to finally start officially dating through a trick”, the warlock suggested and looked at Seungmin like he was expecting the younger to come up with an idea. Seungmin had to refer from laughing. For one because Woosu just expected him to alway have a little prank plan in mind and secondly because he actually did.</p><p>Seungmin couldn’t help but grin a little, which let Woosu’s eyes begin to shine a bit. “Fill me in on your brilliant idea”, the warlock said, mirroring the redhead’s grin. Seungmin used his demon voice to explain his little plan so Wonpil and Dowoon would notice nothing but in all honesty they were so caught up in their own little world that he probably wouldn’t have noticed anyway. </p><p>“It’s a very simple plan but he could just play truth or dare but with a variant, meaning we play in pairs and with partner switches. We just need to carefully ask them truths and in the end we can dare them to kiss properly or we do what you said and make them stay in Wonpil’s wardrobe for ten minutes”, Seungmin explained with his demon voice. Woosu lightly snickered.</p><p>“Remind me to ditch my mother more often to spend time with you. You truly are a genius”, Woosu complimented and patted Seungmin’s head after the redhead was done explaining. The young demon swatted his hand away with a playful scowl because he actually liked that compliment. </p><p>“I take Dowoon. You take Wonpil“, Seungmin instructed and Woosu nodded. The two walked towards the two older males, with innocent smiles plastered on their faces. “Hey hyungs. Can we play a little game?”, Seungmin asked to get the attention of the two. When the two of them turned their attention towards the two younger males, the door suddenly rustled.</p><p>Someone tried to enter without the knocking pattern. </p><p>The three Kim brothers reacted very quickly at that. Seungmin grabbed Dowoon’s arm, dragging him to Wonpil’s wardrobe, pushing him inside and casting a fast spell over the furniture to make sure nobody would notice someone inside while Woosu casted another illusion spell over the whole room to hide all the decorations a second time and Wonpil went to the room door, immediately putting up a facade to hide his true emotions and feelings. He opened the door and was met with the eyes of his mother Lilith, which made him terrified but he hid it well. </p><p>“Is there something you need, mother?”, Wonpil asked in a polite tone. Hearing Wonpil say “mother” made Seungmin’s blood boil this instant. The young demon hadn’t seen his mother in weeks but that didn’t mean he hated her any less for what she did to Wonpil. The redhead walked away from the wardrobe and around the corner, so he could see his terrible mother. </p><p>“I need to talk to you and Seungmin in my office. Now”, she said in a stern, demanding tone. She just stood in the doorframe and made no attempt to enter the room fully. Her piercings red eyes wandered from Wonpil to Seungmin, who now stood just two meters behind his older brother. Woosu was kind of frozen in his spot in the middle of the room.</p><p>“Why? What do you want from us?”, Seungmin asked in a cold, emotionless tone and walked up to Lilith and Wonpil to stand beside his brother. “I will tell you child as soon as we are alone”, Lilith answer. Her tone seemed irritated and was still as cold as ice. The focus of her red eyes landed on Woosu, which made the warlock flinched instantly. </p><p>Both Wonpil and Seungmin knew they had to get Lilith away from Wonpil’s room. Meaning they had to go with their mother her office. </p><p>“Alright. Let’s go to your office”, Seungmin said and glared at his mother while he walked passed her out of the room without showing any fear. Lilith’s red eyes followed him and in the end and Seungmin swore he saw the corners of her lips raise a bit but then she turned around, walked past him and took the lead. </p><p>Seungmin looked back to Wonpil, who just closed the door to his room behind him. In his dark eyes Seungmin could see that he was just as unsure about this situation as him. </p><p>The three demons walked towards Lilith’s office without saying one word. Lilith opened the door made of dark red wood, which lead to her office with a simple hand gesture and entered the room without any hesitation.</p><p>Seungmin felt a sense of uneasiness claw at his skin when he entered his mother’s office. He didn’t have good memories of this room and he was sure Wonpil did neither, especially after being cursed here. <br/>Lilith walked behind her desk and seated herself on the big red leather chair with the symbols of hell engraved on the back. The door fell shut after she was seated, letting Wonpil and Seungmin flinch. Lilith mustered her two sons for a moment. </p><p>“A war is coming” she suddenly said with a monotone voice. “It will take some time until all hell breaks loose on earth as some people might say. Ironically, this war won’t be caused by your father, me or any other demon from hell”, she continued like she was just casually talking. </p><p>Seungmin and Wonpil were frozen in place. They didn’t dare to say a word and just stared at their mother because she was talking about a war. An actual war, where a lot of people will probably die. </p><p>“I am warning you because you are two of the three things that need to survive this war. Doesn’t matter how. Just staying in the mansion would be an option. Just know I won’t come to save you when you are in trouble because I need to keep a bunch of demons at bay, so they don’t run loose, letting the war be more terrible than he needs to be”, she explained like she wasn’t talking about demonic powers and hell. </p><p>“This also means”, she said and looked at Wonpil “Your curse is lifted”, she continued and snapped her fingers. The spell fell off Wonpil as a kind of green dust, which disappeared immediately. “Use your freedom wisely”, she said almost kindly but both demon brothers could hear the threat underneath it. </p><p>“That is all I wanted to say to you. I don’t care if you tell another soul about it. Just remember that nobody would believe you until it actually happened”, she added with a little sarcastic smile and she was right. Maybe their friends would believe them after a little convincing but no one, who could prevent it would because who would listen to two young creatures, who suddenly knew about an upcoming war but had no proof for it?</p><p>Seungmin was also pretty sure there was no way to prevent this war from happening. If there would be his mother would have never told them this because why would she? She was the queen of hell she wasn’t opposed to violence and probably saw it as a way to single out the weak creatures. </p><p>“You can go your merry way now. Enjoy it as long as you can”, she them dismissed them but neither of them moved. Maybe it was out of shock, maybe out of fear or maybe because of a different strong emotion but neither seemed to be able to move their feet. </p><p>Lilith just looked at her two sons without having any kind of sympathy in her red eyes. They just looked cold, emotionless even. “I said you are allowed to go”, she repeated herself with a little bit of irritation in her voice. </p><p>Wonpil snapped out of his little trance first. He must have noticed that his mother got slightly irritated, so he grabbed Seungmin’s wrist and dragged the younger out of the office back to his room. The young demon didn’t know where his thoughts were exactly but he surely wasn’t paying attention to anything in his immediate surroundings. </p><p>He could feel his brother dragging him but everything seemed to be in a blurry or like he wasn’t even in his body but just watching a movie. Just the idea of having to live through a war felt unreal to him. </p><p>Seungmin could feel Wonpil stop in his tracks before his room door. He was slightly panting and when Seungmin managed to look at his older brother he could see the other’s horns and devil’s tail. If Wonpil was showing his horns and devil’s tail Seungmin was pretty sure he wasn’t any better.</p><p>Wonpil took a deep breath before he knocked the special pattern on his door without letting go of Seungmin’s wrist and entered his room, pulling his little brother along and closing the door behind him and Seungmin. </p><p>The two demon brother were immediately met with the worried gazes of Dowoon and Woosu. “What the hell did she do to you?”, Dowoon mumbled loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. The vampire wanted to go towards the two demon brothers but Wonpil kept him from doing so by just shaking his head. The older demon let go of Seungmin’s wrist so he could lay both hands on the younger’s shoulders.</p><p>“Seungmin. Look at me”, Wonpil said in a gentle voice. Seungmin absentmindedly raised his head lightly so he was face to face with his brother even though his eyes didn’t focus on the other. “I need you snap out of your trance. Maybe we can’t prevent the war from happening because mother didn’t tell us, who will be fighting against who but we can prepare for it anyway. Maybe that’s exactly what mother wants but it’s worth a shot”, Wonpil said still in a gentle but also firm tone. </p><p>Seungmin nodded and forced himself to slowly focus on his brother’s eyes. “It isn’t over yet”, the older ended his little speech and the younger lightly nodded. Finally back in reality. Wonpil released a breath and showed his brother a little smile, which Seungmin returned. It wasn’t the happiest smile you had seen from them but it was reassurance for the both them. </p><p>Dowoon and Woosu were completely confused and maybe a bit scared and angry at Lilith for doing whatever she did to the demon brothers because they had no clue what exactly happen. Seungmin was a bit thankful for their concern if he was honest but he hoped they didn’t think much of Wonpil’s little speech.</p><p>“Alright. What did Lilith do, what did she say to you? I want to know so I can be angry at her”, Woosu asked with worry in his voice but also a little bit of anger. He walked towards his two brothers mustering them both with honest concern glimmering in his dark eyes. Seungmin doubted Woosu could truly be angry at anyone. He was too nice for that. </p><p>“We really didn’t want to ruin Christmas Eve for you heard a little bit too much, didn’t you?”, Wonpil sigh and got a nod from both Woosu and Dowoon. Seungmin hated having them to hear about the upcoming war like this. </p><p>“We will tell you after we opened the presents”, Seungmin suggested and walked to the little pile of gifts, which they had placed next to a miniature Christmas tree. Wonpil followed him. The young redhead picked up his present for Dowoon and Woosu, which he got for them last minute and turned around, facing them.</p><p>“Merry Christmas”, he said when he gave them their presents and showed them a smile, which wasn’t as happy as it used to be.</p>
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<a name="section0028"><h2>28. No secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung and Changbin have a little talk with each other and the Lee brothers talk to their parents.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jisung just blinked at Changbin and tried to process how much sense it made that the shorter male was a prince. No, wait. He was the vampire prince, the goddamn heir of the vampire throne, the one who would rule over all vampires in the future. </p><p>They two had sat down in the big living room of the castle and Changbin had explained Jisung that he was the vampire prince after the warlock had shot some questions at him, like why he was living in such a big castle and why very vampire seemed to know him. Apparently Changbin was well aware of the fact that Jisung wasn’t an idiot and therefore just told him the truth instead of trying to get out of this situation by lying. </p><p>Changbin explained that him being the heir of the vampire throne caused Chantelle, Ryan and the other vampires at school to stick with him, even though he had told them countless times they should just leave him alone and not make him to the leader of their little group, which was later referred to as the vampire gang of Miroh High. He also mentioned he used his position to get Valentin King, the vampire who bit Jisung by force, behind bars and that Seungmin already knew all of this. </p><p>Everything was making so much sense to Jisung it let him question his intelligence, observation skill and all of the things he had thought about Changbin before they became friends. By all the gods he had misjudged Changbin so much before they became friends and was now really thankful to have gotten close to the vampire.</p><p>At some point Changkyun, who was still with the two, mentioned that not really every vampire knew Changbin was the vampire prince. Some knew him personally like himself, some knew how he looked as well as his name and most only knew his formal title and name but wouldn’t recognize his face if they were shown a picture. It was a way of protecting Changbin until he was ready to take on the full responsibility of a crown prince.</p><p>The vampire prince also explained, that he didn’t want to let everybody know he was the vampire’s crown prince because he didn’t want to be treated differently just because he was from royal blood. He liked having a rather normal life with people, who didn’t think of his status. </p><p>“Jisung. Are you alright?”, Changbin asked his friend hesitantly because Jisung had gone very quiet in the third half of Changbin’s explanation, which was a clear signal for something not so pleasant. Worry and Anxiety were written on the young prince’s face and he questioned himself if he had somehow upset his friend. </p><p>Suddenly Jisung stood up, making Changbin flinch a little bit at the sudden move. The warlock’s face was unreadable when he quickly walked over to Changbin. “You are such an idiot”, the blue-haired warlock stated, lightly punched the older’s shoulder and let himself fall onto the black leather couch directly beside Changbin. </p><p>The vampire prince looked dumbfounded, which made Changkyun snicker from his position. He was leaning on the wall and honestly looked like a bodyguard with his crossed arms, black turtle neck and black coat. </p><p>“Shut up, hyung. Before I make you”, Changbin scowled and glared into the direction of the older, who seemed more amused than anything. </p><p>“I have two wonderful boyfriends, Binnie so don’t try”, the older vampire teased, making the prince blush lightly and throw a pillow at him. Changbin missed Changkyun by a meter, maybe more and caused the older vampire to now fully laughing. </p><p>Jisung was more amused than anything while watching the two vampires interact with each other. They really seemed to know each other well and Changkyun also had a nickname for Changbin, which the vampire prince seemingly didn’t hate, so it was a pulse point. </p><p>The young warlock with the blue hair silently agreed with Minhyuk’s statement about Changkyun only looking scary. Just by watching him lightly tease Changbin and by his honest laughter you could tell he was a softie. </p><p>“So, I have the most important question now”, the warlock then declared earning the attention of the two vampires. Jisung turned to Changbin, put on a serious face to mess with him and laid his hands on the older’s shoulders. He was acting like his question was something that decided between life and death, which seemed to worry Changbin, making the little prank a success. </p><p>“Hyung, why do you wear all black in school when you look cute in pink?”, Jisung asked in the most serious tone he could muster and looked at Changbin’s pink sweater before meeting the shorter’s eyes once more. Changkyun started to laugh in the background while Changbin just blinked in confusion. </p><p>“I have a reputation to keep?”, the vampire prince answered but he sounded pretty unsure. He had slightly tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. Jisung had a hard time keeping a straight face because of that. </p><p>“That reputation went out of the window when you smiled as bright as a sun when Hyunjin hugged you for the first time as a greeting”, Jisung stated dryly and he really had to keep himself together to not laugh when he heard Changkyun basically dying of laughter in the background.</p><p>Changbin looked ready to argue and opened his mouth to do so but closed it again, when he realized he had no real argument. So he turned away from Jisung, freeing himself from the younger’s light grip on his shoulder and crossed his arms while pouting like a child. That was the point were Jisung completely lost it. </p><p>He started to laugh uncontrollably, resulting in a hurting stomach and a glaring Changbin, who looked ready to kill him for his sudden outburst but to the warlock it was entirely worth it. </p><p>“You are mean, you know that?”, Changbin retorted, still glaring at Jisung with crossed arms. The warlock shrugged. “I am best friends with Seungmin, so you should have known what you are getting yourself into”, he responded with a grin on his face. Changbin wanted to say something but a sudden “bing” sound let the two teenagers turn their attention to the third person in the room. It was almost scary how you forgot Changkyun was there, when he was quiet.</p><p>The older vampire looked at his phone, quickly scanning over the display like he was reading something. “Shownu-hyung is calling me in as a sort of backup, so I will leave you two alone”, he stated when he put his phone into his coat pocket. “Merry Christmas to you two, by the way”, he added before he went out of the room and disappeared without a sound.  He really was excellent at disappearing into thin air, even without magic. </p><p>Jisung and Changbin looked after him for a short moment before the vampire prince broke the silence. “Now, I got a question for you, Jisung”, he stated in normal tone while leaning back and then looking at the warlock again. Jisung turned his attention towards the older with a little bit of curiosity and anxiety glimmering in his eyes because of the sudden mood change. Couldn’t they keep the light and fun atmosphere?</p><p>“Why did Changkyun-hyung bring you up here?”, Changbin then proceeded to ask. “That’s a little hard to explain”, Jisung mumbled and brought his feet up, so he could sit cross-legged on the couch. He had taken his coat, scarf and shoes off when he had entered the castle around an hour ago. </p><p>“I have plenty of time on my hands since I will be completely alone here for the next two days anyway”, Changbin responded without any specific emotion in his voice but Jisung picked up on the bitter undertone that was shining through a little. </p><p>Jisung could relate to Changbin in that point. He too had felt lonely and left behind countless of times, so he lightly smiled at the older and began explaining what happened this afternoon without leaving out one detail because Changbin carefully listened to his words and gave the warlock the feeling he needed to hide nothing, that he was accepted for everything. This maybe even lead to the warlock ranting about his fuck-up family for a reason that was unknown to himself. </p><p>In the point of feeling left behind and lonely Changbin showed that he could relate to it completely, even if his parents didn’t abandoned him they left him mostly alone in this castle, which they specifically build for him. It made him feel like he was left behind by them and not good enough to stay by their side. </p><p>They talked so much about everything that went wrong in their lives that they started to cry at some point. Neither had a clue why exactly. Jisung just started having teary eyes and not a moment later Changbin did too. </p><p>“Hyung, why didn’t you never say something”, Jisung sniffled, having given up on trying to stop the tears coming from his eyes. “I should ask you that. Your uncle is terrible to you”, Changbin hiccuped, trying to wipe away his tears with the sleeves of his pink sweater. Jisung snickered sarcastically and drily. He had stopped noticing how terrible his uncle was because he didn’t know it any other way. A part of him was just glad he never copied his uncles behavior when he was younger.</p><p>“I got used to it”, Jisung sighed and sniffled again. “I will rip that guy’s head off some day”, Changbin replied without one wobble in his voice, which given the current situation was a surprise. Jisung looked into the eyes of the short male, which were red from crying but also held a determine glow in them, you could mostly see as a red glimmer. </p><p>“Please don’t, hyung. Even though he is an ass he is still the last bit of family I have that didn’t leave me”, Jisung said and wiped his eyes. Suddenly the warlock was pulled into a much needed side-hug by the vampire prince. </p><p>“I consider you as my brother from this moment on and I think Seungmin also considers you as his family, so screw your uncle”, Changbin mumbled into Jisung’s shoulder, making the warlock chuckle lightly. He made it sound like he had been adopted by him and Seungmin.</p><p>“This sounds like you are adopting me”, the blue-haired warlock joked. There was a short silence before Changbin shifted his position a little, so his head laid on the warlock’s shoulder. “I would talk to my parents if you wanted that”, the vampire deadpanned, now making the warlock laugh fully. The vampire prince slightly pulled away, so he could look at his friend in confusion because he wasn’t taken seriously. </p><p>“You can’t just let your parents adopt me, when my uncle is my more or less legal guardian”, Jisung said, even though the thought of living with Changbin sounded nice in his mind. He would live in a big castle with a friend after all but it was a fantasy. </p><p>“Try me. I will play the prince card, if needed”, the vampire prince retorted, seeming serious about this topic. Jisung’s amusement slowly subdued, noticing that Changbin really wasn’t joking at all. </p><p>“But why would your parents even take someone like me into their family? I am not a vampire, not a royal and they don’t even know me personally”, Jisung responded. Something bubbled in his chest that was a mixture of anxiety and hope but the last thing JIsung wanted was getting his hopes up only to see them get smashed onto the ground. </p><p>The vampire prince crossed his arms over his chest. “I would have someone, who could educate me further in magic and also someone, who keeps me company”, he simply stated. “It would be a win-win situation for everybody, unless you don’t want to be around me all the time”, Changbin then added in a mumble. Jisung huffed and then pulled Changbin back into a hug. He let himself fall backwards, so Changbin laid on top of him. </p><p>“I could never hate your company, hyung. Besides you now know me probably better than any of our friends except for Seungmin”, Jisung responded, looking at the high ceiling of the living room, where a gold-red chandelier was hanging. </p><p>“What does Seungmin know about you that I don’t?”, Changbin asked, getting a little bit sleepy from everything that happened before. “I have been close friends with him for a long time. He knows me better than I do if I’m honest”, Jisung answered with a little sigh. </p><p>“Seems reasonable. Just remember that I will get you to live with me here, no matter what”, Changbin slightly slurred his words because he was already half asleep. </p><p>“That would actually be nice”, Jisung mumbled lowly with a little smile adoring his lips. He thought Changbin didn’t hear him because he was now asleep and lightly snoring but the older did hear it and that meant he got some planing to do, when he woke up the next day. </p><p>——————————</p><p>The dinner at the Lee’s house was as nice as it could possibly be. There were some laughters, light conversation and the food cocked by Mr. and Mrs. Lee just tasted amazing. Minho and Felix really missed their parents’ cooking, when they had been away for so long. </p><p>And still, Felix and Minho had something they needed to say to their parents, which left them with a little bit of anxiety in the pits of their stomachs but they still waited for the right moment to address the topic.</p><p>After Mr. Lee finished telling a little story a comfortable silence fell over the table. Felix saw this as an opportunity and lightly kicked Minho, who sat on the opposite side of him, in the shin to get his attention. The older got the memo, even if he wished he could play stupid. In some way he promised to not back out of this. </p><p>“Mum, dad can I-“, Minho began. “Can we”, Felix corrected, he wasn’t going to let Minho do this alone or make it seem like it was just him. Nope, he would stay beside his brother no matter what, just like he promised. </p><p>“Can we”, Minho repeated and gave his brother a little smile before he turned his attention back to his parents. “Talk to you about something important to us?”, the cat hybrid with the light brown hair then finished his question. </p><p>Mr. and Mrs. Lee were surprised at their sons’ serious tone. “Of course, hon. There is no reason why you can’t”, Mrs. Lee answered with motherly concern in her voice and looked at both of her boys. Mr. Lee had a heartwarming expression on his face but said nothing, he just listened. </p><p>Minho looked to Felix again, who gave him a little encouraging nod. “Do you remember how you told us about mates, when we were twelve and thirteen?”, Minho asked rather carefully. “Of course we do”, Mr. Lee answered and showed a smile. “You two were so excited to find your destined mates as soon as possible no matter where they were. It was absolutely endearing”, Mrs. Lee added, her smile as warm as her husband’s. </p><p>“Well, there we thought our mates would be beautiful girls but turns out...”, Felix started and looked to Minho, who gave him a light nod. “Neither of us are really into girls”, Felix then finished the sentence. Both Lee brothers were ready to bolt out of the room when something was going wrong. They both tensed a little when they noticed the rather sad and guilty look on their parents’ faces. Did they disappoint them? </p><p>“My poor babies”, Mrs. Lee began and got up from her chair, beside Minho to pull her older son into a hug from behind. Minho couldn’t even properly react but he didn’t need to anyway. “Why were you scared to tell us that? Did we ever make you feel like you need to hide things from us?”, she continued and gave Minho a kiss between his cat ears before letting him go again to walk over to Felix to do the same thing. </p><p>“Listen, you two. We are a family. You can tell us things like that without fearing a bad reaction. We love you no matter what”, Mr. Lee said and both Minho and Felix could heard the sincerity in their father’s voice. </p><p>Felix and Minho were a little bit stunned at their parents’ reaction. It was an unusual one but pleasant to hear nonetheless, letting them feel like they could breath again. </p><p>“Thanks, mum, dad”, Minho mumbled. “Don’t dare to thank us for that, Lee Minho”, Mrs. Lee slightly scolded but it was a little bit too affectionate to really call it scolding. “Now let’s clean up and then go into the living room to watch “Home alone” like Felix wanted”, she then added and grabbed some plates to bring them into the kitchen. Seemingly the topic was done for her but not for Minho.</p><p>“Wait, mum”, Minho called out to get her attention back. “I got one more thing to say”, he said and looked back and forth between his parents to check their current expression. He inhaled slowly and collected his courage once more. “I found my mate almost two months ago and he is a warlock, who is in the same class as Felix”, he blurted out. </p><p>His mother let out a happy screech, almost dropping the plates she was carrying and his father smiled wide. “Scratch the movie for now. Minho, you need to tell us everything about him”, his mother said, sounding more excited than Minho was when he found out Jisung was his mate. </p><p>“Felix, would you take these plates into the kitchen from me. I need to hug your brother again”, she then added. “Yes, ma’am”, Felix said jokingly and saluted before standing up and taking the plates from his mother, carrying them into the kitchen. “Not again, mum”, Minho complained and stood up as well to maybe escape another hug from his mother. </p><p>“There is no way I won’t hug you. You can’t escape me, Minho”, Mrs. Lee laughed and went up to Minho to pull him into a hug again, while he made an poor attempt to escape. “When will you introduce your mate?”, Mr. Lee asked still smiling while assisting Felix in cleaning up the table and carrying things into the kitchen. </p><p>“When he is ready to meet you and when you are home, I guess”, Minho answered, honestly. He had no clue how Jisung would feel about meeting his parents and when his parents would actually be in Yellow Wood for the next time. </p><p>“I am already excited to meet him. Did you already ask him out? Does he already know that he is your destined mate? Was he okay with it?”, Mrs. Lee then bombarded Minho with questions when she slightly pulled away from the hug, so she could look into her son’s eyes. </p><p>Minho couldn’t help but smile a little. “He knows he is my mate and declared he his my boyfriend after I told him”, he told his mother while his smile widened a little. His mother’s eyes began to sparkle. “I already love him. When he is ready to meet us and we are not in Yellow Wood at that moment just call us and we will come home as soon as possible”, she slightly ranted, making Minho snicker. </p><p>“Mum, give me attention too. I cleaned up the table for you after all”, Felix whined and went to the two with a pout on his lips. Mrs. Lee cooed at her younger son and pulled him into her side to give him a loving kiss on his temple. </p><p>“Do I get attention too? You can’t just leave me out”, Mr. Lee said and walking over to his family from the kitchen to wrap his arms around his wife from behind, making her giggle. </p><p>Felix and Minho really questioned themselves why they were scared to tell their parents that they may not like girls. They just loved them so much and nothing could change that in the slightest.</p>
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<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Coffee date</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jeongin sets Chan and Byungho up for a date.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christmas Eve was two days ago, which meant that all the family meetings were over and all the presents were unpacked. This gave Chan a little bit of time for himself. </p><p>The wolf hybrid was sitting on the fluffy dark grey carpet in his room while leaning onto the foot of his bed. He had a little notebook on his lap and played with the pencil he was holding, while trying  to think about some lyrics ideas. Doing that was a hobby of him, something that made him relax, sort out his thoughts and sometimes even express said thoughts in the form of a song. </p><p>He was so caught up in his own head, his own little world, he didn’t notice how the door of his room was opened by a big black wolf, who didn’t really try to be quiet. The wolf just walked over to Chan and flopped down on his lap, earning a yelp from the male with the curly silver hair. </p><p>“Yedam, get off me you are too big for this”, Chan complained with a little laugh. The wolf slightly huffed but got off Chan, while also turning back into his human form. The boy, who now sat in front of Chan had black hair and was wearing a plain black shirt and pants. His eyes were as black as the wolf’s he had previously been but now they seemed less intimidating. The male pouted a bit while looking at Chan. </p><p>“So, you are calling me heavy and therefore fat”, Yedam huffed and crossed his arms, pretending to be mad at his older brother. “I never said that. I told you that you are too big to just let yourself fall onto my lap. Your wolf is now fully grown after all, meaning he is now taller and yes, heavier  but it would be concerning if he wasn’t”, Chan explained calmly while closing his notebook and putting the pencil away. He knew Yedam was just being a pouty child but there was no way he would allow his little brother to think bad about himself. </p><p>Yedam suddenly had a confused look on his face, which quickly turned into a shocked one. “Does that mean my human form won’t get taller as well?!”, the younger asked, leaning forward to shake Chan by his shoulders like that was the end of the world. The older only laughed at his younger brother’s overreaction. “Don’t worry your human form will continue to grown until you are twenty if you are lucky”, Chan then answered, which led to Yedam stopping to shake him. </p><p>“I am glad. I thought I would stay this small”, Yedam exhaled, making his brother laugh once more because Yedam wasn’t even that small. The younger let his hands slip off his brother’s shoulders and leaned back a little. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Chan’s phone, which laid beside him, and got a message notification. The older picked the phone up and looked who wrote him. It was Jeongin.</p><p>“Who wrote you?”, Yedam asked and scoot over to Chan’s side to look into the older’s phone. “Jeongin, a friend of mine from one class below me”, the older answered while he opened the chat with Jeongin. The younger asked if Chan had time to hang out. </p><p>“Wait, do you mean Yang Jeongin? In the kitsune of our school?”, Yedam asked with a little bit of surprise in his voice. “Yeah. Is there an issue with that?”, Chan asked with a rather monotone voice, while he replied Jeongin that he was free today. “No, I just didn’t think you were friends with him despite you knowing probably everyone in Miroh High”, Yedam answered and placed his head lazily on the shoulder of his brother, so could continue to read the chat. </p><p>“How long have you been friends with him?”, the younger asked out of curiosity. Chan thought for a short while before answering. “He was introduced to me more or less at the beginning of the school year but I can’t remember when I started to refer to him as a friend but it doesn’t really matter to me”, the older explained. Chan believed that he would have been friends with Jeongin no matter in which way they met because the young kitsune was just someone Chan wanted to protect a little. </p><p>“This means you probably adopted him, when you got to know him because he is a sweet kid”, Yedam chuckled in amusement. Chan wanted to argue but got interrupted by another message from Jeongin asking him to meet him in twenty minutes at the “19” Café. The next message said he should wear his white, loose button-up shirt because he looked good in it and wore it not that often. </p><p>“He is right about the shirt. You look really good in it, hyung”, Yedam commented to Jeongin’s last message. Chan lightly laughed and tousled through his little brother’s black hair. Yedam had nothing against it. His hair was messy anyways because he didn’t bother to brush it today.</p><p>“I should get changed then”, Chan said and let Yedam lift his head off his shoulder before he stood up to walk over to his closet and get out some fresh cloths he could change into for his meeting with Jeongin. </p><p>Chan was out of the front-door not long after that. He wore the loose, white button-up shirt, Jeongin had requested with a pair of black jeans and over that his dark blue coat, so he wouldn’t freeze to death. Yellow Wood was still covered in snow after all. </p><p>The wolf hybrid enjoyed his little stroll to the Café with the snow crunching under his shoes. He was a little surprised though when he saw a familiar figure in front of the Café and it wasn’t Jeongin. </p><p>No, it was Byungho. </p><p>The older male with the brown hair looked at his phone and didn’t see Chan coming, so the wolf hybrid decided to call for him before running towards him. </p><p>“Hey, Byungho. What are you doing here?”, Chan asked when he reached the older but the question almost got stuck in the wolf hybrid’s throat because Byungho just looked stunning in every aspect of the word. He wore light makeup around his eyes and a dangling silver cross earring in his left ear. </p><p>The earring must be new because Chan didn’t remember seeing Byungho ever wear it. He probably got it for Christmas from someone. The wolf hybrid almost didn’t register Byungho’s answer because he was just stunned by Byungho’s look. </p><p>“I’m waiting here for Jeongin. This kid really asked me to go to a little party with him”, Byungho answered with a huff. Chan blinked in confusion. “That’s funny because Jeongin wrote me today and said he wanted to hang out and that we should meet here”, the wolf hybrid said, which also let Byungho look confused. </p><p>Suddenly both Chan and Byungho got a notification on their phone. It was a message from Jeongin. It read: “Sorry for the little trick, hyungs. Don’t be mad at me please &gt;.&lt; I had the feeling you two would enjoy a little time for just the two of you. The “19” Café is really great, so you won’t regret going in there and order a drink. You will surely like it. So, enjoy your little date!” </p><p>Chan’s face got really red when he read the last sentence of the message while Byungho chuckled cutely and lightly shook his head. “The Maknae successfully tricked us”, he stated with amusement in his voice while putting his phone into the pocket of his black coat. </p><p>“Y-yeah. We totally fell for it”, Chan slightly stuttered and tried to not look Byungho in the eyes, so he focused his gaze into the distance. He needed to calm down quickly before he messed something up or said something stupid. </p><p>“Want to get something to drink in the Café like Jeongin suggested, when we are already here?”, Byungho asked. He sounded as kind as always and Chan could already tell that the older was smiling just by hearing his voice. The wolf hybrid told himself that he should just be himself around Byungho, like always. He finally looked at Byungho and mirrored the older’s smile. “That sounds nice”, he answered. </p><p>The two walked into the Café and were hit with the overwhelming good smell of fresh coffee and books. The “19” Café was a mix of a library and a coffee shop. It was nicely furnished with a lot of comfy beanbags in a corner, so you could take one and sit down were you want to read some of the books comfortably. The walls were all covered with bookshelves, except the front wall because of the big windows, which let warm sunlight flood the place. There were also many cutely decorated tables with comfortable looking chairs, which all differed from each other but still fit the whole theme of the Café. </p><p>Byungho and Chan both ordered and paid for a latte macchiato at the counter and sat down on a table next to one of the bookshelves, waiting for their order.</p><p>“This place is really nice. I should have come here a long time ago. It’s almost embarrassing that Jeongin, who only moved here a few months ago, knows this place and we don’t”, Chan commented when he took off his coat and hung it over the back his chair while looking at the books in the different shelves. “I agree. The atmosphere is relaxing here and the staff members also seem nice”, Byungho agreed with a chuckle and hung his long black coat over the side of his chair. </p><p>When Chan looked back to Byungho he nearly coked on his own spit. So much about staying calm and being himself. Thinking the older couldn’t get more stunning was just stupid to think. Why did he even do that? The dark night-blue shirt the older was wearing, looked like it was made of silk and complimented not only Byungho’s naturally broad shoulders but the V-neck also showed a part of his defined collar bones. The very pretty silver necklace with the little silver cross charm, which matched Byungho’s earring, also didn’t help anyone to keep their gazes away from the exposed part of the brunette’s chest. </p><p>Yes, Chan was internally dying and had a hard time to not stare at Byungho. By all gods if Byungho would have gone to a club like Jeongin had said to get him here there was no denying people would have noticed him the second he walked through the door. </p><p>After Chan noticed how silent the both of them got he decided to just compliment Byungho because that was what bros do? Right? “You look really good in that shirt, by the way”, Chan complimented the older and prayed that it sounded absolutely casual and if not he was screwed. </p><p>Byungho smiled kindly. “You also look really good in your shirt. You often wear black things but a white button-up suits you too”, the older gave the compliment back. Chan needed to take a short moment to not let the other know he was really flattered to hear that but he managed to grin lightly and say “Thank you”. </p><p>“Here are your drinks”, a cheery female voice said behind them and their order was put on their table by a cute-looking blond girl with cat ears on top of her head. “Enjoy”, she said and got a “Thank you” from both Chan and Byungho before she went away again. </p><p>In Chan’s opinion she was looking too much at Byungho but that was probably just his wolf side talking. After all Byungho was Chan’s mate, even if the brunette had no clue about that. </p><p>The two males had a rather normal conversation while they occasionally sipped on their drinks. Chan was glad that the atmosphere around them was so casual. He had feared it would get awkward because Jeongin more or less set them up for a date. That made Chan question if he was too obvious about his crush on Byungho and the mate thing but the youngest of their friend group was a pretty smart kitsune after all, so if he just figured it out or was joking in general was a bit unclear but maybe Chan just thought too much about it. But he would sure as hell ask Jeongin why he had set this up. </p><p>“Did you also hear that the members of K.A.R.D have been very active over the course of the last few weeks? A friend of my mum told me that the two female members are often seen flying around, seemingly fixing something”, Byungho told the wolf hybrid. Chan slightly nodded. “My mum and my father talked about that with one other member of their pack. They seemed worried though”, Chan said with a tint of concern in his voice. He finished his latte macchiato with one last sip, Byungho wasn’t quite finished yet. </p><p>The older male of the two seemingly noticed the worry in Chan’s voice, so he changed the topic, which the wolf hybrid internally thanked him for. “Talking about pack. Did you ever think about joining the one your mother is a part of?”, Byungho asked and took a little sip from his drink without breaking eye contact with Chan. </p><p>The wolf hybrid thought about it. When he was smaller he loved the idea of one day joining the moon pack, which his parents were part of but ever since his father’s death and learning about groups consisting of all sorts of creatures he had changed his mind. </p><p>“I think being in a pack is a little boring. I mean they consist of just wolf hybrids and/or werewolves. I would rather choose a group with different types of creatures, so I can get to know them, their abilities and culture”, Chan explained with a little smile on his lips. Byungho hummed in agreement, mirroring Chan’s little smile. </p><p>“You phrase things like that always so beautifully and open minded. I think you could even be the leader of a group”, Byungho said while his smile widen a little bit. Chan felt his face get a little hotter and he prayed Byungho couldn’t see him blushing.</p><p>The wolf hybrid thought of a way to reply to that but in the end was distracted when he noticed in the corner of his eye that three girls were coming towards their table. Byungho seemingly noticed that the other was distracted and wanted to say something but then the three girls arrived at their table. </p><p>One of them had black hair, wore maybe a little much make-up and seemed to be a mermaid judging by the intense violet eyes and violet scales on her cheeks bones, which she seemingly tried to cover up. </p><p>The second one was obviously a fairy. She had light blond hair and light green wings on her back. Her eyes were in the same color as her wings, just a little less glittery and transparent. Unlike her mermaid friend she was wearing no make-up at all, showing off her light, smooth skin, which slightly glittered green. </p><p>The third girl was definitely a vampire, Chan could smell that instantly. She had black eyes and dark brown hair, wore dark red lipstick to compliment her full lips and a little bit of eyeliner to make her eyes stand out a little more. </p><p>“Hey there”, the fairy greeted with a shy but honest smile, that told Chan she was flirting in an instant. Her gaze shifted quickly from Byungho to him though, making it clear with whom she was flirting. Great, straight girl trying to flirt with a gay guy. </p><p>“Hi”, Chan returned the greeting rather awkwardly. “Can we help you?”, Byungho asked sounding polite and nice. “Yeah”, the fairy said and pushed the mermaid a little forward. “My friend here, Rina, couldn’t stop staring at your table”, she added with a smile. “That’s, that’s not true”, the mermaid, Rina, stuttered nervously while blushing. She seemed shy and a little unsure it was almost cute. </p><p>“It is true. Trust me”, the fairy said to Chan and Byungho giving the two a smile were you could see her perfect, pearl-white teeth. Byungho chuckled softly and this made the mermaid just blush harder, which Chan didn’t really like. </p><p>“So, could you do this poor, shy soul a favor and give her your number?”, she said that obviously to Byungho. “And maybe you want to give me yours”, the fairy added winking at Chan, who now felt even more awkward. </p><p>This was just great. The girls seemed nice and everything but Chan didn’t like the idea of giving the fairy his number and getting her hopes up and that the mermaid seemed interested Byungho. Still, he could do nothing about this. If Byungho wanted to give the mermaid his number, who was he to say no? He never told Byungho about his feelings for him or that he was Chan’s destined mate therefore he had no right to stop him from dating anyone. </p><p>Byungho glanced at Chan for a brief second, which the wolf hybrid barely noticed. “Are you very angry at us, when we decline?”, Byungho asked with an apologetic smile. Chan looked surprised at the older male, then it turned into relief, which didn’t get unnoticed by the third girl, the vampire, who was in the background and was probably just here for the moral support. </p><p>“Not really but we would want to know why. Already in love?”, the fairy asked with a little bit of disappointment in her voice while she looked from Chan to Byungho. Rina also looked disappointed but she seemed to understand and subconsciously touched her badly covered scales. </p><p>“Yes. I’m really sorry”, Byungho answered before Chan could say something. The apologetic smile was still on his lips. Again, the wolf hybrid couldn’t help but be surprised. Byungho was in love? With whom? Or did he just say that, so the girls wouldn’t ask any further? He wasn’t sure at all. </p><p>Suddenly the vampire girl made her presence know by shifting her position slightly and taking a step forward. “You are probably in love with each other, am I right?”, she asked with disgust and poison in her voice. Her two friends looked shocked but Chan couldn’t tell by what. The possibility of him and Byungho being in a relationship or their friend’s rude tone. </p><p>“What if we were? What would change that?”, Chan asked in a neutral tone while Byungho narrowed his eyes at the vampire girl but said nothing. The vampire glared at Chan. “It would make you a coward and a fag”, she answered with so much disgust in her voice it made Chan clench his jar. He wished the vampire would have just stayed silent. </p><p>Suddenly Byungho stood up and dumped the rest of his drink on top of the vampire girl’s head, making her gasp as well as her two friends. “Oops. Sorry about that”, the older said with sarcasm dripping from his voice. He then simply grabbed his coat as well as Chan’s hand. The wolf hybrid quickly took his coats before he was dragged to the exit of the Café by the older male, having an internal debate whenever Byungho really just did what he did or if he was imagining things. After double checking he had to realize that Byungho did dump his drink onto the vampire girl’s head. </p><p>Byungho let go of Chan’s hand after they were out of the view from the Café, so they could put on their coats. To say Chan was still shocked, surprised and a little bit more in love was an understatement. Yes, this was the point were Chan would say he wasn’t only whipped or smitten for Byungho, no he was freaking in love with the other male. </p><p>“Byungho did I ever-“, Chan wanted to say but was interrupted by the sound of someone slamming the door of the Café open. Chan instantly picked up the scent of three vampires, two probably male and one female. He knew the scent of the female one since it had the delicate smell of latte macchiato in the mix. </p><p>“Now, you two are dead meat”, they heard the vampire girl yell angrily. Byungho instantly grabbed Chan’s hand and pulled the wolf hybrid into him. He mumbled a quick teleportation spell and teleported them out of the vampires’ view, into a little alley not far away from the Café because Byungho probably wasn’t able to teleport them further away in such a short time. </p><p>Chan had his head more or less buried in Byungho’s neck, making the wolf hybrid’s heart not only race because of adrenaline, that was currently pumping through his veins because he could hear the vampires shout and run around trying to find Byungho and him. </p><p>They should have known that the vampire girl probably had some vampire friends with her, who just didn’t come to their table. After all vampires were known for never being without one of their kind. Of course there were expectations like Changbin but it was more common to see vampires hang out with other vampires. It was the norm for them. </p><p>And then there was the thing with a vampire’s pride and ego. Byungho literally drown the vampire girl’s ego by dumping his drink on her and vampires tend to not take that easily, so they often reacted rather violently. Perfect example of that was the current situation. </p><p>Byungho slightly shifted because his left shoulder was pressed uncomfortably into the brick wall, he was currently leaning on. Chan mistook this, thinking the other was generally uncomfortable in their current position and tried to push himself off Byungho but the older wasn’t having that and kept the wolf hybrid in place by putting his left hand on the other’s back while he was still holding onto Chan’s hand with his right one.</p><p>“Stay still or they might notice us”, the older whispered. Chan only nodded and didn’t dare to move again because Byungho’s mouth was more or less right next to the wolf hybrid’s ear, making it quite hard for him to not become a tomato. </p><p>To distract himself he tried to focus on the noises the snow made under the vampires’ feet when they ran around in their supernatural speed or their voices but soon enough Chan found himself listening to Byungho’s heartbeat instead, which was a little faster than a normal one. Maybe he was a little scared as well? </p><p>After a while the vampires gave up searching for them and went their way. “I think they are gone”, Byungho mumbled and let out a little sigh of relive. Chan was still focused on Byungho’s heartbeat though. The wolf hybrid found it strange that it was still beating rather quickly. It hadn’t calmed down one bit. So maybe it wasn’t fear but nervousness? He couldn’t tell. </p><p>“Channie?”, Byungho said the other’s nickname softly but still with concern in it. Chan’s head immediately jerked away from Byungho’s neck. He would have made at least two steps away from Byungho but the older’s left hand still rested on his back, preventing him from doing so. He was left with staring into Byungho’s dark orbs with the gold tint, faces only some inches apart. </p><p>Chan’s heart began to instantly beat like crazy. Byungho was probably able to hear it at this point. The wolf hybrid referred from gulping or letting his eyes drop to the older’s lips. “Just look into his eyes and hope he will soon notice that you can’t move back because his hand is still on your back”, the wolf hybrid repeated this thought in his head, in hopes of a fast, hopefully not awkward ending of this situation. </p><p>Byungho seemingly wasn’t planning on removing his hand from the other’s back though, no the older slightly changed his position again. He let go of Chan’s hand giving the wolf hybrid the possibility to get out of this position if he made a step to the side but now he also had his face just one inch away from the other’s. </p><p>This made Chan stop breathing and all the thoughts he previously had disappeared. His brain still worked though because if not he wouldn’t have noticed Byungho’s eyes drop to his lips for a brief second. This made Chan lean forward slightly like it was an instinct. His lips didn’t touch Byungho’s yet but it was very close. </p><p>Chan gave the older a choice like the other did before because some part of him still wasn’t sure if Byungho knew what he was doing. The faint trace of a smile could be seen on Byungho’s lips before he crossed the little distance between them. </p><p>They let their lips meet and subconsciously closed their eyes at the same time. The kiss was sweet, loving and not rushed at all even though they both felt a kind of electricity run through their bodies. It made them feel alive and free, like they could do anything they wanted. </p><p>That feeling didn’t leave when they pulled away from each other. Opening their eyes again to look at each other. Chan at the feeling the last bit of oxygen was knocked out of his lungs when Byungho smiled, showing his perfect white teeth a little. He was just beautiful. </p><p>“God damn it you are so beautiful”, Chan said out loud by accident. “Well so are you”, Byungho chuckled lightly, making Chan realizing what he had said out loud, resulting in his face becoming very red. The other chuckled again and brought his right hand up to brush a strain of Chan’s silver hair out of his eyes. </p><p>Chan only looked into the other’s eyes, where the gold tint seemed now more prominent. It was just beautiful to look at, how there seemed to be a little golden galaxy in Byungho’s eyes. Without really knowing what he was doing he subconsciously leaned in again to get an even better look at Byungho’s eyes. His nose brush the other’s by accident, making Chan realize what he was doing but before he could pull back again and apologize, Byungho had closed his eyes and kissed him again. </p><p>The wolf hybrid responded rather quickly even though he was taken by surprise. With his eyes closed he savored the feeling of Byungho’s lips on his. He had heard before that some hybrids and werwolves described the kiss of their mate intoxicating but he never knew you could get already addicted to someone’s lips after the second kiss. </p><p>After pulling away from each other again, Chan almost whined because he didn’t want to stop kissing the older just yet. “We shouldn’t stay here. We will catch a cold if we do”, Byungho chuckled and he was right. It was winter after all, so Chan got his head out of its lovesick state to maybe get some more logical thoughts, which instantly gave him an idea. </p><p>“Alright. We will just go to my place”, the wolf hybrid said with a sudden burst of confidence. Byungho looked a little surprised before he showed a little smile again. “As you wish”, he answered, making Chan smile lightly as well. The wolf hybrid was finally allowed to move backwards because Byungho let his hand drop from his back but the male with the curly silver hair took it not long after to intertwine his fingers with the older’s.</p><p>That was how the walked out of the little alley, looking like the couple they would soon be.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Two sides of one coin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minho wants to do something with Jisung but the warlock always declines but for a good reason.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the 30th of December but Minho didn’t know that, nor did he really care about it because he was way too focused on the little message on his phone’s display. It was a message from Jisung saying he wasn’t able to hang out today because something came in between. It was the fourth time he did that in a span of four days. </p><p>Minho almost glared at the message, like it was a person he could scare off. Was Jisung avoiding him or was he really just busy? After all Minho had no clue about Jisung’s home situation, even though he had his suspicions, which weren’t very good by the way but it was still frustrating that the younger more or less refused to see him. It hurt Minho on a level that wasn’t easy to understand for someone, who wasn’t a hybrid or werewolf, who had found his mate because the bond between a hybrid or werewolf and their destined other was something very special and powerful but could also become something very harmful.</p><p>Minho was lucky to have someone close to him as a mate. But it was a little bit of a disadvantage that Jisung was from a different species because he could unknowingly hurt Minho very badly with, for example, ignoring him for weeks because of an argument. </p><p>Yes, everybody would feel hurt because of such an action but for hybrids and werewolves it could cause a phase of depression because the so called “mate bond”, which was created after the first lip contact and hold upright by simply conversations between the mates in any form or/and with a little bit of physical contact, would slowly begin to fade. Of course it would take a lot of time for the mate bond to completely disappear but in that time every joyful feeling would be drained from the hybrid or werewolf bit by bit. </p><p>Of course Minho was sure Jisung would never want that to happen to him but it was a difficult thing to understand for someone of a different species how much impact a mate could have on a hybrid or werewolf. Jisung could for example turn evil and use Minho to reach his goals and the cat hybrid would have to help him because he needed Jisung to be by his side to feel happy. </p><p>But if the mate bond was taken seriously and cared for then it could become something very positive and very powerful in certain aspects because it would connect the mates in a way that was unreachable by any kind of magic. </p><p>A knock on his room door made Minho turn his attention away from his phone as well as his thoughts and focus on the door. The door was opened by his mother, who looked a little irritated but it was nothing too bad. She simply wasn’t the person, who would get angry or irritated easily. </p><p>“I called for you three times, young man, so would you please be so kind and come downstairs with me so we can have a nice family-lunch?”, she asked in a seemingly scolding tone but it was a little too soft to actually be called like that. </p><p>“Alright, alright”, Minho sighed and stood up from his bed, leaving his phone on the nightstand. He was hiding his irritation and disappointment well but his mother noticed anyway because she always did when something was wrong with one of her boys, so when Minho wanted to walk past his mother, she simply struck out her arm to stop him from doing so. </p><p>“What’s bothering you, honey?”, she questioned softly looking at her son with motherly concern. “Nothing important”, Minho mumbled because he was sure his voice would give him away to his mother when he spoke louder. “It’s obviously important to you, so spill”, Mrs. Lee answered, still in a soft, motherly tone but with a bit of a sternness. Minho sighed again, knowing fully well that his mother wouldn’t give up until he told her what was bothering him. Felix had that from her. </p><p>“It’s my mate. He declined my offer to hang out for the fourth time in this week and that feels weird”, Minho admitted and avoided eye contact with his mother because he knew her worry would be shown in her eyes. He didn’t want his mother to worry or think bad of Jisung now. </p><p>“Alright then. I will help you figure out what to do after lunch. We won’t just leave it that way, alright?”, Mrs. Lee suggested, putting her hand on her son’s shoulder. Minho nodded and showed his mother a little smile. “Thank you, mum”, he then thanked his mother. Mrs. Lee smiled warmly and tousled through her son’s hazelnut brown hair. “That’s what a parent is for, hon”, she answered. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>Jisung groaned after he hit the send button next to the message, that would decline Minho’s offer to hang out once more. The warlock buried his face into a pillow after that, feeling like he was the worst boyfriend and mate in the entire world. </p><p>“Changbin-hyung, I am the worst creature on this planet”, he said into the pillow. “You know I can’t understand you one bit with your face buried in a pillow”, Changbin responded. The vampire was quite literally on the other end of the living room and could only hear that Jisungmade some noises. </p><p>The two teenagers were still at Changbin’s place because the vampire prince was really working on getting Jisung adopted into his family, which meant the vampire prince somehow managed that his parents would send someone today to lay an eye on Jisung. The warlock still wasn’t conscious of the fact that Changbin managed to get him this close to be legally adopted by his family. His royal families. He managed to set this up in only five days. How many “I am the vampire crown prince” cards did he play or was he just this convincing?</p><p>This whole situation just felt surreal to Jisung for more than one reason because he couldn’t even properly remember saying to Changbin that it would be nice to live with him or that being his adopted brother would be fun. Yes, he thought about it but Changbin wasn’t able to read minds, right? Or did he say it out loud? He said something in that direction when Changbin was seemingly asleep but the vampire prince didn’t hear that did he? Well he most likely did and that was why Changbin was so determined. </p><p>Jisung raised his head from the pillow to look at Changbin, who was at the big desk sorting some papers. “I said, I am the worst creature on this planet”, the warlock repeated loudly. “Why is that?”, Changbin asked and read through some of the papers, which his parents had sent him. “Because I declined Minho’s offer to hang out again”, Jisung whined. Changbin lightly laughed at that, making Jisung glare at him. </p><p>“You sure are popular. Hyunjin messaged you yesterday, Seungmin the day before that and Minho wanted to do something with you since four days ago”, Changbin only counted the times Jisung had whined about having to decline the offer to hang out with someone. The vampire prince himself had been asked to hang out by Seungmin and Hyunjin today but he had declined as well because the meeting with the vampire sent by Changbin’s parents was pretty important to him as well as Jisung because it would decide if Changbin’s parents liked Jisung and were ready to talk to his uncle about him being adopted by them. </p><p>“Well yeah and I had to decline all of their offers because you needed me to go through the papers your parents sent you as well as reading a bunch of books about vampires. I am a vampire expert after this”, Jisung huffed and sat up. He didn’t want to sound ungrateful but he learned more about vampires in the last five days than he had in his whole school career. </p><p>“It was necessary for you to know a little bit about the vampire dynasty”, Changbin simply stated and put the papers in the folder on the desk, so he could walk over to the blue-haired warlock and sit down beside him. The warlock just hummed and looked at his phone again, regretting once more that he declined Minho’s offer to hang out. </p><p>Changbin noticed this. He opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by a loud knock, which echoed through the castle. </p><p>“Probably the vampire my parents sent”, Changbin mumbled to himself and got up to go to the front door of the castle to open it. Jisung followed him automatically. The front door wasn’t that far away from the living room. </p><p>The vampire prince glanced at his blue-haired friend when they reached the big black front door. “Ready?”, Changbin asked quietly. “Yeah”, Jisung answered, trying to sound confident but you could hear that he was a little nervous. </p><p>Changbin opened the door, only to reveal Changkyun in rather formal clothing. “Hello there”, the older vampire greeted and showed a smile. The two teenagers blinked at him in confusion. Why was he here now?</p><p>“I am here in the name of Seo Shiwon and Seo Ahri, the king and queen of all vampires. The task of having a look at the warlock Han Jisung was assigned to me”, he then continued and finally it clicked in Changbin’s and Jisung’s head, which was almost written on their faces. Changkyun was the person, who they waited for. </p><p>“I thought you stopped working for my parents to be with your boyfriends, hyung”, Changbin said when he let Changkyun enter the castle and let the door fall shut behind him. “I did but they asked me for a favor and my opinion”, the older replied casually. </p><p>Jisung felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders. He was glad he didn’t need to talk with some vampire from the royal court. Instead he could just chat with Changkyun but what if the older was very critical? </p><p>“So Changbin’s parents- I mean King Shiwon and Queen Ahri want your opinion on me?”, Jisung questioned and lightly bit his lip. Changkyun nodded as an answer. </p><p>“King Shiwon and Queen Ahri trusted my judgment a lot when I worked for them even though I was probably one of their youngest court members. Seemingly this hasn’t changed ever since I left”, he added when the three of them walked back to the living room. His expression remained very neutral while he talked, letting Jisung feel a bit of anxiety bubble in the pit of his stomach. </p><p>“So I probably won’t need to tell you then that Jisung is one of the good guys, right?”, Changbin chimed in, looking at the older vampire. “Of course not. I already gave your parents my first impression of him before even coming here”, Changkyun chuckled with a teasing grin on his lips. </p><p>Both Changbin and Jisung froze for a brief moment. Changkyun really came here after already telling the vampire king and queen a part of his opinion?</p><p>“Was it a positive one?”, Jisung and Changbin asked in union, making Changkyun laugh a little because they looked like children asking their parents, if they did something right. </p><p>“Of course it was a positive one”, Changkyun answered and patted their heads, like they actually were children. The two teenagers didn’t protest though because given the occasion it could have consequences, letting them be very careful. </p><p>The three reached the living room and made themselves comfortable on the couches there. “So, will you give your okay, hyung?”, Changbin asked when he sat down on the opposite side of Changkyun. Both teenagers looked hopeful at him. </p><p>“I have no reason to not do it. Jisung seems like a good kid to me after all and I know from Minhyuk that he his very good with potions and doesn’t lack magical abilities either”, the older explained.</p><p>Jisung felt every doubt and insecurity was washed away in that moment. The best coincidence that ever happened to him was Changkyun being Minhyuk’s boyfriend. By all gods he waned to just thank Minhyuk at this moment but also Changkyun for not hating him after a very rocky start.</p><p>“Thank you so much, hyung”, Jisung thanked the vampire. Changkyun couldn’t help but chuckled again. “I was just the observer. There is nothing to thank me for”, the older responded with a smile.</p>
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<a name="section0031"><h2>31. New year and destiny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chan and Byungho want to celebrate New Year with all of their friends.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey Byungho”, Chan said softly getting the attention of the slightly older male, who had his head on the wolf hybrid’s chest and was just overall comfortable in his position. </p><p>Chan’s and Byungho’s little date, which had been set up by Jeongin was five days ago and you could say that they already started dating, even though they didn’t ask each other out yet. But they had a proper date organized by the two of them two days ago because they thought it would be nice and it was. They had a lot of fun and if anyone saw them they would have thought they were already an official couple because they acted like that. Occasionally they shares little kisses and they held hands more or less throughout their whole date. </p><p>Who was aware of this date? Well, Byungho told his mother almost everything about Chan, so she knew and had been probably more hyped about her son’s date than the young male himself but Byungho hadn’t been given the chance to tell any of his brothers. Wonpil and Seungmin had been absorbed in training their powers for a reason Byungho didn’t know, Woosu was forcefully tied to his mother for the most part and Samuel was still on holiday with his mother. Unlike Byungho and Eve they didn’t come home after just two days of being away. </p><p>Chan’s family was also fully aware of their oldest son’s date. But they also knew that Byungho was Chan’s mate making the little date even more meaningful but they said to Chan to take his time and don’t rush things. Yedam was probably the most excited one about this out of the Bang family. He helped his older brother pick an outfit and put on light makeup. He had declared himself their number one shipper since he had seen them laying cuddled up together on Chan’s bed after they had come to the Bang family’s house from their set-up date. </p><p>Today was the last day of the year and the two love birds met at Chan’s house to just spend time with each other, which led them to a little cuddle session on Chan’s bed and therefore the current situation where Chan internally debated if he should tell Byungho about the mate thing now. He already did the first step, which was getting the attention of the slightly older male but now he felt stuck.</p><p>“What’s wrong, Channie?” Byungho asked and tilted his head a little so he was looking at the wolf hybrid. Chan’s eyes meet Byungho’s dark ones and he couldn’t help but notice once more the golden tint in the dark orbs. “What are we for you now?”, the wolf hybrid asked, trying to find a good way to tell Byungho that he was his mate. </p><p>“Definitely more than friends”, the older answered pretty straightforward and sat up. He was now facing the wall opposite the bed and wasn’t looking at Chan anymore. This made the wolf hybrid sit up as well because he could almost smell the sudden nervousness of the other. “And maybe soon boyfriends”, Byungho then added in a smaller voice. Chan grinned at that and reached forward, so he could wrap his arms around the older male. </p><p>“I would love to be your boyfriend now”, the wolf hybrid said in a gentle voice and laid his head on the older’s shoulder. Chan could almost feel Byungho smile, which also caused him to smile like the lovesick idiot he was. </p><p>“Can I return your question to you now?”, Byungho then asked while his smile didn’t flatter once. “Well, for me we are now boyfriends and ...”, Chan trailed off a little. The hybrid raised his head from the other’s shoulder, making Byungho automatically look at him and let got of the other male.  </p><p>“And you are my destined mate”, the wolf hybrid then added with a little shy smile, internally praying to all known gods that Byungho wouldn’t have a bad reaction to this. After all Chan was aware of the fact that Byungho knew what a destined mate for a hybrid was because they had biology together. </p><p>Byungho blinked a little confused but then the bright smile reappear on his lips. “How long did you know that?”, the older asked with a gentle voice while he shifted his position, so he was sitting in front of Chan. </p><p>“Since the pocky game we played at Minho’s and Felix’s house around two months ago”, the wolf hybrid answered sheepishly, rubbing his clammy hands into his jeans. “What an honor to be your mate”, Byungho then spoke out his thought, making Chan blush instantly and look away from the older. But Byungho wasn’t having that, he laid his hands on the wolf hybrid’s cheeks and made him look into his eyes before he kissed him. </p><p>Chan got once more reminded of the fact of how addicting Byungho’s lips were for him and how perfectly they fitted together with his own. Truthfully a match made by destiny itself. </p><p>After separating from the kiss they smiled at each other once more before they laid down again like before, just enjoying each other’s presence. </p><p>“So, when do we plan on telling the others?”, Chan asked after while of playing with Byungho’s brown hair, obviously referring to their shared group of friends. “Well today is the last day of the year maybe we could ask them to celebrate New Year together and then tell them there”, Byungho suggested with his eyes closed. Chan liked the sound of that idea very much.</p><p>“That sounds perfect. Fits a little bit into the theme of New Year”, Chan said with a little smile. “Minho’s reaction will probably be interesting”, the wolf hybrid then added in a chuckle. </p><p>“Did you talk about mates when you went somewhere else at the sleepover two months ago?”, Byungho asked out of curiosity, surprising Chan. He hadn’t known that Byungho had been awake when he had walked upstairs with Minho. </p><p>“You have noticed us walking away? I thought you were already asleep”, Chan said looking at his now boyfriend. Byungho shook his head slightly with a little smile on his lips. It was an adorable and honest smile and Chan loved it so very much he couldn’t put it into words. </p><p>“You sly fox. You could become Jeongin’s competition”, Chan playfully stated, making the other chuckle. Just seeing Byungho chuckle or smile always managed to make Chan feel happy instantly. It had always seemed like a natural reaction but now he would probably do anything to get the other to smile or laugh. </p><p>“Don’t you want to write the others about our little plan?”, Byungho asked teasing, looking up to Chan. The wolf hybrid ripped himself out of his little trance and grabbed his phone, which was charging on his nightstand, with the ghost of a blush on his cheeks. </p><p>He typed the message, asking everybody if they were free today to celebrate New Year together and sent it into the group chat with everyone. “Now we just need to wait a little for them to reply”, Chan said with a smile, that was mirrored by Byungho. </p><p>———————————————</p><p>Hyunjin closed his textbook and stretched his arms while also trying to relax his stiff shoulders. Two hours of studying were finished once more and before you ask, yes Hyunjin was one of the few students, who actually studied when they had holidays. He didn’t have perfect scores from laying around lazily after all. </p><p>The siren stood up from his desk chair and decided that a little shower would be nice to relax for a bit, so he went to his wardrobe and picked out an simple, cozy outfit to wear after the shower while humming a melody from a song that recently got stuck in his head but he couldn’t remember the song’s name, which was a little bit sad. </p><p>Hyunjin walked out of his room with his cloths in his arms and waddled towards the bathroom. He faintly heard Jeongin’s laugh from the living room along with the sound of the TV. The younger was probably watching a funny show or something, the siren thought while entering the bathroom. </p><p>He put his fresh cloths on a little stool next to the sink, got himself some towels out of the cupboard above the sink and put them down on the window ledge. With rather quick movements took the siren his cloths off and stepped into the shower, turning the water on. </p><p>As soon as the warm water hit the siren’s skin it started to slightly glimmer in light blue. Hyunjin just relaxed under the warm stream of water with closed eyes. Water always had a relaxing effect on the young male. Maybe it was genetic or it was just Hyunjin but whenever the siren felt super stressed he had the feeling he needed to go for a swim somewhere. Luckily he wasn’t stressed at the moment, so he didn’t feel the need to dive into the next swimming pool or lake he saw but the idea of going swimming with his friends sounded nice. Maybe he would suggest it when it when the weather was warmer again. </p><p>Hyunjin finished his shower after twenty minutes. He didn’t bother to properly dry his hair, so he stepped out of the bathroom with his fresh cloths on and a towel around his shoulders to keep his shirt from getting wet. </p><p>Hearing Jeongin’s laugh again made the siren walk towards the living room, where the kitsune laid on the couch with his phone in his hands while some sort of drama was playing on the TV. It didn’t seem like a comedy, so the reason for the other’s laughing must be on his phone.</p><p>“Why were you laughing so loud?”, Hyunjin asked and leaned over the side rest of the couch to pry into his cousin’s phone. The kitsune almost bumped his head with the siren’s because he almost jumped up out of shock. </p><p>“Nothing too important and now dry your hair you are dripping onto me and the couch”, the kitsune shot back after his little shock, turning the display of his phone off. Hyunjin only huffed, stood up straight again to walk around the couch, so he could sit down in front of it facing the TV. </p><p>“I am too lazy now to do that”, Hyunjin answered and started to focus on the drama that was playing on the TV. He heard Jeongin snort, followed by a shuffling noise and soon enough was the blond drying his hyung’s hair with the towel, which had previously been around the siren’s shoulders.</p><p>“You will catch a cold if you don’t dry it”, the younger mumbled while combing through Hyunjin’s black hair with the towel, drying it. The siren couldn’t help but smile a little. His little cousin was just cute and if anyone would say something against that he would have to fight Hyunjin and probably every other member of their group of friends. </p><p>The two teenagers just sat there in silence and watched the drama on the TV until Jeongin’s phone got a message notification. The blond took the little device into his hand again and looked at the message.</p><p>“Hyung, Chan asked if we were free to celebrate New Year with him and the rest of our group”, Jeongin said to the siren. “Did mum say she had plans for New Year?”, Hyunjin asked because he couldn’t remember that she did. “I don’t think so. She only had plans for Christmas but we should ask her when she comes back from shopping, which will be soon anyway, to be sure”, the blond answered. Hyunjin nodded in agreement at that. </p><p>Mrs. Hwang returned not long after this and when the two asked if it was okay to celebrate New Year with their friends, she had nothing against it. She just wanted to know where they would go, how long they would be gone and she added that she wanted a good wish for New Year on time. </p><p>The two teenagers agreed to the conditions and then went to Hyunjin’s room, so Mrs. Hwang could watch what she wanted on the TV. Hyunjin and Jeongin knew that she sometimes enjoyed that very much because she rarely had time do so, that was why they did it. </p><p>Jeongin wrote into the group chat that he and Hyunjin would the idea of celebrating New Year with all of their friends, while Hyunjin sat down on his bed having a wide smile on his face. </p><p>“Celebrating New Year with our friends will be fun”, the siren almost beamed. “Oh, yes it will be”, Jeongin agreed but something about the mischievous glint in the younger’s eyes made Hyunjin think that they had a different definition of fun. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>Seungmin was laying on Wonpil’s bed with his head on the older redhead’s stomach. His gaze was focused on the ceiling of the room. “You know it has been a while since we had alone time together like this”, Seungmin commented, making Wonpil laugh a little bit at the sudden statement. </p><p>“Stop laughing. I’m right. The past two months Dowoon has always been here with you. I almost thought he moved into your room or something similar. Today would be no different if he wasn’t forced to celebrate New Year with his family”, Seungmin argued and turned his head to look at his brother, who had a bright smile on his face. </p><p>“Yeah, he spend a lot of time here. Sometimes we almost talked through the whole night. To my surprise he only fell asleep here once”, Wonpil admitted, making Seungmin sit up and grimace. “Just start dating already”, he said, making his brother now fully laugh at this reaction or rather the way the younger grimaced. </p><p>Seungmin just looked at his brother not understanding why he was laughing but well he didn’t see his reaction. Wonpil calmed down shortly after with a big smile on his face but you could see in his eyes that a negative thought crossed his mind, making the bright smile fade.</p><p>“Dating Dowoon sounds pretty nice, even though it wouldn’t work out in the end and I think we both know that”, Wonpil said looking at the ceiling with a sadness in his eyes that let Seungmin’s mood drop this instant. </p><p>“Our mother shouldn’t keep you from being with him. She has no right to forbid you to love him”, Seungmin mumbled and looked at his lap because he couldn’t bear looking at his now sad brother. “I shouldn’t have brought up the dating part”, the young demon thought to himself, feeling guilty. </p><p>“It’s not just because of our mother, if I am honest. I just think I am no good for Dowoon if I would become his boyfriend. I would harm him one way or another without wanting it”, Wonpil sighed and started to play with the silver necklace around his neck. It was a gift from Dowoon. The vampire gave it to Wonpil for Christmas. </p><p>Seungmin let his gaze wander from his lap to his brother again, who seemed to think while looking at the ceiling and playing with the silver necklace. The young demon wanted to say something but a voice only he could hear made him halt.</p><p>“Could you come to my office, my little demon?”, Seungmin could hear the voice of his father ask in a somehow friendly but still monotone voice. “Shit”, the young demon cursed, knowing fully well that he couldn’t just not go to his father. You couldn’t disobey the devil after all. </p><p>The younger redhead’s cursing ripped Wonpil out of his thoughts and made him look at his younger brother because Seungmin rarely cursed and if he did you should run and hide or be very worried. Seeing that the younger had tensed made Wonpil worried in an instant. He forgot about his dilemma and put Seungmin in the center of his attention. </p><p>“What’s wrong, Seungmin?”, the older asked and sat up. The younger didn’t react, making Wonpil lay a hand on the other’s shoulder. Seungmin flinch a bit at that but turned his head towards his brother, who looked very worried now. </p><p>“What’s wrong?”, the older demon asked again. Seungmin gulped. “Father called me to his office”, the younger answered in a small voice. The expression of the other turned from worry into fear at these words. “Did he say something about our mother?”, Wonpil asked instantly being scared that Seungmin would have to experience the anger of his mother like he did. The young demon shook his head. “He just called for me”, Seungmin answered and stood up, making Wonpil’s hand fall off his shoulder. </p><p>“Please don’t be stupid like me and call me as soon as something begins to go into the wrong direction. I don’t want the thing that happened to me happen to you too”, Wonpil said with worry and a little bit of fear for his brother in his voice. Seungmin showed his brother a little smile. “I will”, he promised before taking his phone, putting it into the back pocket of his jeans and then walking out of his brother’s room. </p><p>The young demon walked down the corridors towards to his father’s large office with the black double-door. Anxiety was swirling around in his inside, he desperately tried to overpower with the hatred he had for his father. </p><p>When he reached the big double-door he hesitantly knocked onto the pitch-black wood. A “Come in” was heard not long after that and the door was opened by magic. Seungmin slipped into the office and the door was closed behind him. </p><p>Lucifer sat behind his large desk that had devilish and hellish patterns engraved into it. The man with the dark eyes, black hair and the large horns on his head had a wide smile on his face when he looked at Seungmin. </p><p>“You took your time, my little demon”, Lucifer said with a rather soft voice. Seungmin was somehow still used to it because his father had used that voice often when he was smaller. To be more specific before Lucifer revealed to Lilith that he had other women beside her and then divorced her not long afterwards to marry Eve.  </p><p>“Take a seat. We got a lot to talk about”, Lucifer said and gestured towards the black armchair in front of his desk. Seungmin sat down there without saying a word and he tried very hard to not think anything because he knew how his father could read minds if he wanted. </p><p>Lucifer only looked at his son with a little grin on his lips, which made Seungmin forget the anxiety he previously had. The young demon knew that his father was just waiting for him to say something, to think something he could use against him and Seungmin tried very hard to not give into that, to not give his father the pleasure to have the upper hand in that sense. </p><p>The devil suddenly chuckled, catching Seungmin off guard. “I will stop this little game now and get to the point, so you don’t have to suppress your thoughts and emotions this hard”, he chuckled, making Seungmin officially irritated. </p><p>“I know that your mother told you about a war that will soon erupt and that you and your brother have started to prepare for it”, Lucifer began, getting his son’s attention in an instant. The tiny little hope he had of the upcoming war being a horrible joke his mother made, disappear into thin air because Seungmin knew his father may be the devil but he used to been an angel and therefore was unable to lie. </p><p>“Neither Lilith nor I know when this war will fully erupt but it will be soon and you ...”, Lucifer continued but was interrupted by Seungmin suddenly standing up from the armchair. “And I need to survive it along with Wonpil and another person she didn’t name, yeah mother told us that”, the young demon snapped. Every bit of anxiety he previously had was now gone and replaced by anger. He didn’t want to be told the same bad stuff twice. </p><p>Lucifer seemed a little surprised but it soon changed into amusement. His grin widened showing his sharp fangs. “So that’s what she told you? Interesting”, the devil commented. “Why is that interesting?”, Seungmin growled. “Because it’s not true. She lied”, his father singsonged. Seungmin tried not to show his confusion. Yeah, sure his mother was the queen of all demons and could lie perfectly but why would she lie about something like that? There was no reason for her to do so or was there? </p><p>Lucifer noticed his son’s confusion and could read the questions he had on his face alone, even though a normal person would say Seungmin had a very good Pokerface. “Lilith probably lied about this because she wants Wonpil and you to survive at all costs. The third person she mentioned is probably me but it’s almost stupid to worry about me, since I can’t die. The world would loose its balance if I did and nobody wants that, right?”, the devil explained and leaned back into his swirling chair with a grin still present on his face. </p><p>Seungmin scoffed at that and crossed his arms. So his mother treated Wonpil and him badly but still wanted them to stay alive because why? Because she had some twisted motherly love for them? </p><p>The young demon instantly regretted thinking about this when he saw his father’s grin flatter a little. “Your mother had been caring once but things changed a lot over the years but that’s not the topic of today”, Lucifer dismissed that topic but Seungmin wasn’t having that because he saw an attack point. </p><p>“Did my mother change because she found out that you had relationships and children with other women?”, Seungmin questioned in a provoking manner. Lucifer’s smile dropped while every bit of emotion disappeared from his eyes. His aura became more prominent and intimidating but Seungmin wasn’t backing out of this. He was too stubborn for that. </p><p>“It maybe was something to worsen her behavior afterwards but it wasn’t the reason for her sudden change”, Lucifer said with no emotion in his voice. “Of course because every wife would be okay with finding out that her husband cheated on her three times with three different women and even divorced her for one of them”, Seungmin provoked his father again, probably walking on thin ice but he didn’t care at that moment. </p><p>“You don’t know what you are talking about Seungmin”, Lucifer stated, seeming trying to stay calm. “Of course I know. I am not stupid”, the young demon hissed. “No, you have no clue about heaven, hell, destiny or the gods because you were born on this earth. You weren’t even suppose to be born”, Lucifer finally snapped even though he stayed seated in his seat. </p><p>Seungmin stared at his father, letting his words sink in while Lucifer let out a sigh and leaned back once more, rubbing his temples. “Seungmin, the reason your mother became so cruel and distant was because none of your brothers were supposed to be born as well as you. I don’t mean that in the mortal way. I am talking about destiny here”, Lucifer began to explain. Seungmin didn’t show any kind of reaction, so his father continued. </p><p>“When I was banned from heaven and became the devil the gods wanted me to live a lonely life but they didn’t know that with my new powers I would be able to bend my own destiny. Bending destiny is hard and tiring even for me but I did it nine times. Changing four lives and creating five. The only consequence was that my children were born without a destiny and someone without a way to go in life doesn’t really have a future. Therefore nobody, not even an angel, the gods or me, the devil can see someone’s future if that someone doesn’t have a destiny”, Lucifer tried to explain reasonably even though it was hard to explain something that wasn’t made for any creature, except angels, high demons and gods, to understand. </p><p>Seungmin needed a minute to wrap his head around this but when he did he couldn’t help but smirk because his father was wrong. The redhead’s sudden smirk made Lucifer stop his attempt to explain what Seungmin and his brothers not having a destiny had to do with Lilith’s change in behavior and look at his son in interest. </p><p>“If you say I have no destiny and therefore nobody can see my future, why is my warlock friend able to see me in his vision, his visions about the future?”, the redhead asked almost mockingly. Lucifer’s eyes widened and his stood up from his chair in an instant, making Seungmin step back a little from the sudden movement. </p><p>“Bring Han Jisung to me this instant”, the devil said with a certain urgency in his suddenly monotone voice. His dark eyes were unreadable, making Seungmin feel uneasy all of the sudden. He should have shut up when he still had the chance but he wouldn’t never bring his best friend to his father. Not ever. </p><p>“I won’t do that”, Seungmin said looking into the dark, unreadable eyes of his father. “Seungmin, you don’t-”, Lucifer began but he stop himself and sat down again. He rubbed his hands over his face. “You are right, maybe I am wrong. Maybe my rebellion wasn’t as perfect as I planned it”, the devil suddenly admitted. </p><p>Seungmin mustered his father, the man he got to know as someone who was always right and could beat anyone with words alone. Now, he sat there looking defeated and almost like a normal creature. Wasn’t Seungmin supposed to feel good to see his hated father like that? Well, he definitely didn’t. </p><p>Suddenly a “bing” tone cut through the silence of the room. It was Seungmin’s phone. “You can go, Seungmin and check whatever notification you got”, Lucifer dismissed his son. Seungmin only nodded and went out of the room as fast as he could. This was just a strange situation for him. </p><p>“I’m fine even though the conversation went a little bit south”, Seungmin said in his demon voice to Wonpil. “Oh thank god”, was the fast reply of his brother. The young demon fished his phone out of his pocket to look what notification he got while he went towards Wonpil’s room. </p><p>He got a message from Chan in the group chat with all of his friends. The wolf hybrid asked if everybody was free to celebrate New Year together. Seungmin decided he would ask his brothers if they planed something for New Year before replying to Chan and maybe because he needed to sort some of his thoughts before meeting up with them. </p><p>His father told him a lot after all and the knowledge of an upcoming war was clawing at his consciousness more than before and the thing with the destiny didn’t make things better. </p><p>The question now was did the Kim brothers have a destiny or not?</p>
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<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Jealousy and the whole truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minho gets jealous and Jisung finally tells his friends everything about him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You know, I never thought I would get away from my uncle that easily and quickly”, Jisung admitted while unpacking one of the three boxes with his stuff in it. “Well I made sure that getting you adopted was the number one priority of my parents for the last few days, so it isn’t a big surprise in my opinion”, Changbin answered like it was nothing while sitting on Jisung’s new bed, which was located in the middle of the rather big room the warlock could now call his own. </p><p>The headboard of Jisung’s new bed was decorated with beautiful cravings and was pushed to the dark blue painted wall, making it look like the bed of a royal, which Jisung now technically was, despite neither Jisung nor Changbin really believing that. </p><p>Changbin’s parents organize and executed everything in the span of a day after receiving the message of Changkyun’s positive first and second impression of Jisung. The two teenagers didn’t know what exactly Changkyun told the king and queen but it seemingly was something that made them hurry even more. </p><p>So, now Changbin and Jisung were sitting in the younger warlock’s new bedroom, which had previously been a guest room located next to Changbin’s bedroom. Jisung called Changbin’s room a chamber because it was too big, too elegant and too expensive looking for it to be called bedroom. </p><p>The two teenagers were currently unpacking Jisung’s stuff, which was brought to the castle by non other than Changkyun this very morning. The older vampire had seemed like he wanted to commit murder when he dropped the three not very big boxes off but that wasn’t directed at the two teenagers. If Changbin had to guess he would say Changkyun had wanted to murder Jisung’s uncle for some reason but the older vampire didn’t stay long enough for the two teenagers to ask him. </p><p>“I owe you, Changbin-hyung”, Jisung thanked the vampire prince after some moments of silence. You could clearly see the warlock’s gratitude when he looked at his friend, who only smiled wide. “You owe me nothing. After all I don’t have to be alone anymore with you here, so we are even”, the other male responded. </p><p>Jisung maybe got a little bit of a teary eye from that but he hide it well by standing up from his place on the ground, walking over to the bed where Changbin was sitting and just hugging the older while mumbling a “Thank you” once again. The vampire prince laughed a little but hugged back because why wouldn’t he? And let himself fall backwards into the very soft mattress of Jisung’s bed, pulling the warlock down with him. </p><p>The two teenagers laid there for a while without talking until they heard two “bing” sounds from their phones, which laid on different places in the room but none of them were close to their current position. </p><p>“Do we want to know who send us a message?”, Changbin asked, seemingly unmotivated to move. “Maybe it’s important”, Jisung guessed but he didn’t want to stop their little cuddle session either. “Or maybe Felix just sent another meme into the group chat”, the vampire prince responded dryly, making Jisung chuckle. </p><p>“I think those are actually funny”, the warlock admitted. Changbin playfully rolled his eyes at that. Of course Jisung liked Felix’s memes they have the same sense of humor and probably share a brain cell at this point. </p><p>“I believe you like them because you and Felix not only share one brain cell but also the same sense of humor”, Changbin huffed. The younger of the two let out an fake offended gasp and wriggled out of the hug, rolling to the side, so his back was facing Changbin. </p><p>“I share two brain cells with Felix, you heathen”, the warlock stated, pretending to be mad. “That’s your issue with that statement?”, the vampire prince laughed. “Yes!”, Jisung exclaimed rather loudly before breaking into a laugh. </p><p>This bickering and joking continued until another “bing” was heard from both phones, followed by another one.</p><p>“Okay now I am curious”, Jisung admitted and got his little bit destroyed and old phone, which was still laying on the ground beside his boxes. Changbin got his as well, which laid on the little nightstand beside the bed. Both teenagers saw that the message they got were from Chan, Jeongin and Felix. </p><p>“Seems like we will celebrate New Year with our friends”, Changbin stated after he had read the messages and also send a message back confirming that he would like to celebrate New Year with his friends. “Yeah”, Jisung said with a smile while typing that we will come to this meet-up as well. </p><p>Another “bing” sound was heard but only from Jisung’s phone shortly after the warlock had sent his previous message. He got a message from Minho saying that they would need to talk and that was it. No further explanation. This made Jisung’s smile wobble a little because he got a bad feeling, which didn’t get unnoticed by the other male in the room.</p><p>“Who wrote you?”, Changbin asked covering his worry with curiosity. “Only Minho-hyung. He wrote that we needed to talk. It’s probably about me declining his offer to hang out for like four times in a row”, Jisung answered honestly because he didn’t think he would be able to lie to Changbin. </p><p>The vampire prince hummed. “Do you plan on telling everyone about your uncle and that you are living with me now?”, he asked innocently. Jisung gulped, feeling like he wouldn’t be able to do that without having a little break down, just like the time he had told everybody about his bite. </p><p>“It’s fine if you don’t. I get why”, the vampire prince then added in a reassuring tone but Jisung shook his head. “No, I need to tell them. Only then will I be able to leave it completely behind me, right?”, the warlock said even though the last part sounded more like a question while he rubbed his thump over the broken display of his phone absentmindedly, feeling every little split under his skin. </p><p>“Just know that you are save with me”, Changbin said while he sat down beside Jisung. “You are now officially my little brother after all”, he added in a rather happy, reassuring tone to lighten the mood and ruffled the warlock’s hair. “I am not little. I am taller than you”, Jisung protested and swatted the other’s hand away. </p><p>“You brat”, the vampire prince gasped, lightly punching the warlock’s shoulder resulting in Jisung acting like he was now horribly injured, which caused the vampire prince to laugh and they began to joke around again.</p><p>Changbin had effectively managed to lighten the mood, just like he wanted. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>Felix was sulking on the couch in the living room. Why you may ask? Well, because Mr. and Mrs. Lee had to leave on short notice because there was an emergency at their clan house and Felix didn’t like that at all because he had been excited to celebrate New Year with his whole family. </p><p>The ginger let out a sigh and stared at the black screen of the TV. There was only one thing that could help him cheer up now. Memes. </p><p>The young cat hybrid spend the next hour just scrolling through Instagram looking for funny memes he could send someone. He found plenty and decided that today’s victim would be Jeongin. Why? Felix had no reason he just felt like sending a tone of memes to the younger. Normally he would send them to Jisung but the warlock was busy according to Minho, who was pretty upset about it even though he tried to hide it. </p><p>Felix was a little bit worried about his older brother but he knew that Minho had talked the issue over with their mother yesterday before she left along with their father. </p><p>The ginger continued to send Jeongin memes while receiving some messages with laughing smileys, which showed that the younger thought the memes were funny or at least Felix hoped that was what they meant. Still it made Felix day a little brighter for no real reason but he guessed that this was just the Maknae’s effect on everybody, right? </p><p>Suddenly the cat hybrid got a message from the group chat with his friends. It was from Chan, who asked if everybody wanted to celebrate New Year together. Felix thought it was a nice idea since he couldn’t celebrate New Year with his whole family.</p><p>“Hyung”, Felix called loudly for his brother. “What?”, was the response from upstairs. The ginger waited for a bit because he knew his older brother would come downstairs to see why Felix called for him. Minho really came downstairs, like Felix predicted. </p><p>——————————</p><p>“What is it?”, the older asked slightly annoyed because he didn’t really wanted to walk out of his room. “Did you read the message Chan-hyung sent into the group chat?”, Felix asked pretending like he didn’t notice Minho’s annoyed tone. </p><p>“No, I put my phone on silent mode for the night and didn’t touch it until now”, the older male answered and walked over to the couch so he could let himself fall onto the soft cushion beside his younger brother. </p><p>“Well, he asked if we want to celebrate New Year with our group of friends and since mum and dad left early because of an emergency we have nothing planned to celebrate the end of this year”, the ginger told his brother with a rather neutral tone, which was a bit unlike the younger cat hybrid but Minho figured that he was still a little bit upset about the fact that their parents couldn’t celebrate New Year with them. </p><p>“I guess you are right about that. It’s better than staying at home and do nothing”, Minho agreed and let out sigh. “Yup and Jisung will probably come too so you can talk to him about what was up last week”, the ginger added and began typing. </p><p>“Should I? I mean maybe he thinks I am too clingy”, the older mumbled. This thought had crossed his mind multiple times last week because he knew Jisung sometimes needed a certain amount of space. What if he didn’t like it to spend so much time with Minho?</p><p>Felix stoped typing after hearing what Minho had said and looked at his older brother with a serious expression. “Hyung, he needs to know. Communication is important for any kind of relationship, so it would become just more harmful when you keep quiet about it. Remember that Jisung is no hybrid or werwolf. He doesn’t know what impact mates can have on each other because nobody told him, so that’s your job now”, the younger said with a serious tone. </p><p>To say Minho was surprise at his little brother’s seriousness was an understatement. When did Felix become an adult? Where did the goofy, cute kid go? But right now he wouldn’t complain, knowing Felix was right.</p><p>“You’re right”, the older then agreed with a little nod. “Thanks, Felix”, Minho thanked the ginger. Felix showed a smile at that and was back to be the cute sunshine he usually was. He continued to typing the message which would confirm that Minho and he would like to celebrate New Year with all of their shared friends. </p><p>The message was sent into the group chat shortly after a message from Jeongin had popped up, which said that the kitsune and Hyunjin would also like to celebrate the ending of the current year with their friends. </p><p>It didn’t take too long for Changbin and Jisung to also agree to this idea and the last one to confirm that he would join this activity was Seungmin. </p><p>To the question where Byungho was, answered Chan that their oldest friend was with him. Did somebody think that was suspicious? No, not at all. The two older males tended to spend a lot of time together. After all they knew each other long before Minho knew them. </p><p>The group of friends agreed on meeting at the Young Wing Park around 9pm because there they could watch the beautiful fireworks, which would be shot into the sky when it struck midnight. Chan said he would bring some special blankets they could sit on and Hyunjin chimed in he would make tea and bring it along, so they had something warm to drink. Changbin and Jisung immediately said they would bring some snacks but they never mentioned which ones and Seungmin would also bring along some blankets.</p><p>Felix and Minho were left without a task but everyone said that was completely fine since their sleepovers and most study sessions were always at their house. </p><p>Since all the planning took a while 9pm rolled around faster than expected. Felix and Minho put on some warm cloths before they left the house. Luckily it wasn’t snowing outside, so the firework wouldn’t be canceled. </p><p>Minho looked up to the already dark but clear sky where the stars faintly glowed like little nightlights. He didn’t notice how his younger brother slipped his hand into his, so they were holding hands like little children. </p><p>The ginger tugged his older brother, who was still looking up the stars in awe, along towards the Young Wing Park. At some point Minho did watch where he was going instead of counting the stars and blindly trusting Felix’s guidance but he never really took notice how he was holding hands with Felix because it was just that normal to them. </p><p>The two cat hybrids arrived at the meeting point at first but they weren’t alone for long because Hyunjin and Jeongin came into view after two minutes of waiting in a peaceful silence. </p><p>“Did you wait long?”, Hyunjin asked when he jogged towards the Lee brothers followed by Jeongin. “Not at all”, Felix answered with a sweet smile on his lips. Minho noticed Jeongin staring at Felix for a short moment before shaking his head lightly. </p><p>“Well, aren’t you all on time”, they heard someone say and it was obviously Seungmin. They turned towards the redhead, who was walking up to them. </p><p>“Seungminnie”, Hyunjin almost squealed and ran towards the redhead to wrap him up in a hug. “I missed you so much”, the siren added after releasing the redhead. “You are acting like it has been ages since we have last seen each other”, Seungmin chuckled a little. Minho huffed a little agreeing with Seungmin internally. Hyunjin was just being dramatic as always.</p><p>The little group was soon joined by Byungho and Chan, who casually held hands when they walked up the group. Did anyone think that was suspicious? No, Felix and Minho held hands as well so why should it be?</p><p>The last to join this meet up were Changbin and Jisung. Minho knew something was up as soon as the two greeted the group from a little distance because since when did the blue-haired warlock have so much of Changbin’s scent on him? </p><p>Chan and Felix seemed to also have noticed that too, judging by their confused expression but you couldn’t really say if Jeongin did because the Maknae had a rather neutral expression, even though he should be able to pick up on it as well.</p><p>Minho felt something starting to bubble in his chest. He couldn’t name it but he sure as hell knew he wasn’t happy with Jisung having Changbin’s scent all over him. Were they together the last whole week? What did they do together? That was it. They needed to talk. Now.</p><p>“Jisung, I think we need to talk now”, Minho said in the most neutral tone he could muster before he let go of Felix’s hand to walk over to the warlock. He grabbed Jisung’s wrist and dragged him away from the group rather quickly. Nobody was able to react properly to that because the sudden mood change of Minho was just too fast. </p><p>Seungmin as well as Changbin wanted to go after the two but Minho faintly heard Felix and Chan keeping them from it because both of them knew that Jisung was Minho’s mate and they had noticed how the older cat hybrid’s eyes had changed from a dark brown to a piercing green. </p><p>———————————</p><p>Jisung just got dragged along by Minho without much mercy, making the warlock almost trip over his own feet more than once. He had no clue what was up or where Minho was heading. </p><p>“Hyung were are we going?”, Jisung managed to get out when Minho just continued to drag him down a little path that lead into the Young Wing Park. The older didn’t answered but Jisung was slowly worried about the fact that he could barely see anything besides Minho’s light brown coat, the silhouettes of the trees and the white snow on the ground. </p><p>Suddenly Minho pulled him forward and the warlock’s back was met with the trunk of a tree. The impact wasn’t hard or anything but Jisung still let out a little yelp and shut his eyes because he was taken by surprise. When he opened his eyes again two almost glowing, piercings green, cat-like eyes starred into his and he noticed that Minho’s hands were placed on the trunk of the tree on each side of his head. </p><p>“Explain to me why you smell more like Changbin than yourself”, Minho almost demanded and it made Jisung seriously debate if he should be scared or just internally die and then melt. He decided on a combo. </p><p>“I was at his place the last few days maybe that’s why”, the warlock tried to explain while he questioned why the hell he thought it was a good idea to wear one of Changbin’s coats and no kind of scent tranquilizer like he did the last few years of living with his uncle. Oh, right because Changbin’s coat was a lot warmer than the ones he owned and because he thought using a scent tranquilizer to cover up the terrible scent of his uncle was now unnecessary. </p><p>“Why were you at his place?”, Minho continued his little interrogation his piercing green cat eyes never leaving Jisung’s sky blue orbs. “Because I am living with him now”, the warlock brought out and shut his eyes again like he thought Minho would get really angry now. </p><p>The older cat hybrid only looked at his mate in confusion and took his hands away from the trunk of the tree, giving the younger some space. His eyes were still green but a little less piercing. “Why are you living with Changbin now?”, he asked in a much softer but confused tone, like he couldn’t understand why. It was like a punch into Jisung’s stomach.</p><p>Jisung opened his eyes again, so he could look at Minho, whose green cat eyes shimmered in confusion with a flash of pain. “W-well”, the warlock slightly stuttered and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Long story short: His parents kind of adopted me because Changbin wanted to get me away from my uncle and he succeeded in his plan so quickly that the whole adoption process and moving was done within the last week”, Jisung explained while looking down and fiddling with the hem of his coat’s sleeves. By all gods why was he so nervous all of the sudden? It was Minho he was talking to, his boyfriend. </p><p>“I am sorry I told you non of that. I was kind of scared for some stupid reason I can’t even recall now and I had so study some vampire stuff b-“, the warlock began to slightly rant but he was cut off when Minho’s soft lips met his in a short-lived but reassuring kiss. Minho was sometimes unpredictable and Jisung somehow loved that. </p><p>“Don’t apologize. I just overreacted”, Minho mumbled after they parted. Jisung shook his head with a little smile on his face. Minho had reacted the same way Jisung would have if he had been in Minho’s shoes. He would have overthought the whole situation and ended up just as hurt as Minho had probably been feeling. A part of him told him that he should start putting a lot more trust into Minho like telling him everything about him, which included him living with his terrible uncle until he got adopted into the Seo family. </p><p>“I would have probably reacted the same way when I would have been in your shoes”, the younger admitted while his eyes didn’t directly look into Minho’s. “I mean I never told you much about my home life because I am not used to tell other people that much about myself. I always kept to myself, so it became kind of natural to me”, the warlock added with his gaze casted downwards. He should really start to open up a bit more but for today his goal was telling not only Minho about his life with his uncle but all of his friends. He wanted to trust them with this and then move forward with their help. </p><p>“I am trying to be more open and I planned on telling everybody everything about me, so I can finally look forward and also go forward”, Jisung ended his little speech and took Minho’s hand to hold it in his own a bit smaller ones. Maybe to reassure himself that everything will be fine and that the nervousness and anxiety that was building himself up in his body was unnecessary. It worked at least a little. </p><p>Minho just looked at his mate with his now normal brown orbs. The piercing green has completely vanished from his eyes after hearing Jisung’s little speech. The cat hybrid pulled the warlock into his arms and hug him in a protective manner. Jisung just leaned into Minho and every bad feeling the two had felt just vanished for this little moment. </p><p>“If you tell everyone everything about you then I want to declare that you are mine, officially”, Minho suddenly said after a short silence, which somehow caused Jisung to laugh instantly because it was a very Minho thing to say. The cat hybrid looked a little confused because of the warlock’s sudden laughing fit but then a light smile let his lips curve upwards. </p><p>“Alright but for that we need to find the others first which could take a while”, Jisung chuckled after his little laughing fit. Minho rolled his eyes even though Jisung could barely see that since the other’s eyes didn’t glow anymore. </p><p>“We live in a century where phones exist. We can just text them”, the cat hybrid stated fishing his phone out of the pocket of his jacket while his other arm was still securely wrapped around the blue-haired warlock. </p><p>Jisung had nothing against that. He just continued to lean onto Minho while the older texted Felix. The light of the phone’s display illuminated the older’s face in a way that made his side profile look even better from Jisung’s position. By all the gods Minho was just beautiful in every aspect of the word. And yes Jisung should be think about other things like how he will explain his mess of a life to all of his friends but Minho’s beauty was a serious distraction.</p><p>—————— </p><p>“Enjoying the view?”, Minho asked teasingly when Felix had wrote him where he and the others were currently because he had noticed Jisung staring at him. He expected the warlock to get shy but nope that didn’t happen. Not today.  </p><p>“Very”, Jisung deadpanned and his tone let Minho’s heart do a jump he didn’t thought it was capable of doing and it. It also made him seriously think about the messy situation they were currently in but hey life was never something that worked like planned. </p><p>The warlock shifted his position, so his arms were wrapped around Minho’s neck, making the older almost drop his phone but he somehow managed to slip it back into his coat’s pocket without breaking eye contact with Jisung. </p><p>The younger male didn’t hesitate to close the last bit of distance between them and kiss Minho but properly this time. The older’s arms wrapped themselves around the other’s slim waist almost automatically while the two kissed. </p><p>Their lips moved together like they were made for each other while their eyes were closed. This was somehow something both of them would describe as perfect even though some people would raise an eyebrow at it. After all they were kissing in the rather dark parts of the Young Wing Park at night in winter. </p><p>When they parted because air was needed they would have almost kissed again when it wasn’t for the scrunching noise of snow under someone’s boots, which caught Minho’s attention. Despite really wanting to kiss Jisung again he turned his head, letting his eyes scan over the area the sound came from only to meet the gaze of Jeongin.</p><p>“Found you”, the kitsune singsonged and jumped towards them, making Jisung let go of Minho in an instant but the cat hybrid did budge and let his arms were they had been. “How long have you been here, Jeongin?”, Minho asked with the mention of the Maknae’s name to confirm who it was for the warlock since Jisung didn’t see much in the dark unlike Minho and Jeongin. </p><p>“Not long but still long enough”, the kitsune answered vaguely but it was clear that he had somehow seen them kiss.</p><p>——————————</p><p>“The rest is waiting for you two lovebirds by the way”, the blond singsonged again and that was the point where Jisung officially wanted to disappear. The Maknae really had seen them kiss.</p><p>Why Jeongin, why the kitsune, who wouldn’t stop teasing them about this? Couldn’t it have been Felix, who was already aware of their relationship? It would have made things awkward but at least Felix would tease Minho more than Jisung. </p><p>“Right. Let’s go”, Minho simply said and let go of Jisung but still kept one arm around the warlock’s waist simply because he could and the warlock had nothing against that even though he still wanted the ground to shallow him. </p><p>Jeongin, who Jisung swore had a big smile painted on his features wordlessly led Minho and Jisung back to their group of friends even though Minho knew the way as well, thanks to Felix. </p><p>The group had settled down on the little hill more or less in the center of the park. By the looks of it they had partly melted away the snow and then laid out the blankets. Jisung guess either Seungmin, Byungho or Jeongin had used a spell, which involved fire. </p><p>There were a lot of blankets actually even some pillows. Where they even came from was answered when Seungmin casually opened a little portal beside him and pulled another pillow out of it before closing it again. His talent was seriously unfair in Jisung’s opinion. </p><p>“By all gods Jeongin you can’t just say “I will be back in a minute” and then run off like that ”, Hyunjin immediately scowled his cousin when the blond came into the siren’s view. He stood up, letting the blanket he previously shared with Changbin fall from his shoulders, so he could run to his cousin. </p><p>“Stupid, kitsune”, Hyunjin mumbled and flicked the Maknae’s forehead when he stood in front of the younger. The fox spirit flinched back a little at that and rubbed his forehead but didn’t protest or anything. </p><p>Hyunjin’s attention then shifted towards Jisung and Minho. The whole group already knew that they talked through whatever they had to talk through because that was mentioned in Minho’s text, which Changbin told the rest about, so the group of friends would stop to worry. </p><p>Still the majority of them were confused especially Seungmin and Changbin because they thought they knew more than they rest, which was partly true in Jisung’s case because they more or less knew his whole background but they had no clue about his relationship with Minho. </p><p>Yes, Seungmin knew that Jisung had a crush on Minho because he wasn’t blind but the redhead had no clue that Minho was already Jisung’s boyfriend and also mate, so he looked very confused while he tried to find the gap in his knowledge about his best friend. </p><p>“Are you two okay again?”, Hyunjin asked Jisung and Minho while they walked back to the little camp made of blankets and pillows. “Yup and I have to say something”, Minho stated while he changed his position slightly, so he stood behind Jisung and could wrap his arms around the younger’s waist as well as laying his head on the warlock’s shoulder. For a moment Jisung had no clue what Minho wanted to say until the other began to speak.</p><p>“Jisung is mine and I am not sharing”, the older cat hybrid said with confidence while Jisung proceeded to get redder by second. By all gods he should have known Minho wouldn’t loose much time to make this declaration.</p><p>Felix had to refer from laughing at the simple choice of words while Jeongin smiled like he won the lottery and Hyunjin was seriously worried about that. Chan looked somehow like a proud dad even though Minho could have said that more elegantly while Byungho smiled warmly. Seungmin put together pieces in his head until it made somehow click and Changbin looked like he had just seen a dinosaur. </p><p>“So, you two are gay?”, the vampire asked without really realizing that he did. “Yes. We never got over the “Girls are gross” phase. Thanks for asking” Minho answered rather sassily. The way he looked at Changbin made it pretty clear that the other now need to be a bit careful.</p><p>“Got a problem with it, Changbin?”, the cat hybrid then proceeded to ask while his brown orbs were piercing through Changbin. “No I just thought... I just thought I was the only one”, the vampire admitted in a rather small voice but everyone could hear it.</p><p>That was the point where Hyunjin couldn’t help but chuckle while he sat down again. “Hyung let me show you something”, Jeongin said and sat down between Hyunjin and the vampire while Minho and Jisung made themselves comfortable next to Felix. </p><p>The kitsune looked around for a short minute. “Who thinks he his straight should raise his hand”, the Maknae said and nobody raised their hand. Well, except Hyunjin but he did it jokingly, which was why Jeongin put his hand down. </p><p>“See nobody here is straight”, Jeongin then concluded and he was very pleased with himself. “Jeongin just made an difficult topic easy”, Chan stated with a little smile on his lips. “That’s what I do, hyung”, the blond stated proudly and smiled wide, so you could see his dimples clearly. This earned him a little laugh from everybody. </p><p>“While we are at it”, Chan began and glanced to Byungho for a second like he was asking for permission, which the older granted with a little nod. “Byungho and I are dating officially since today”, the wolf hybrid then said. “Oh, congratulations, hyungs”, Felix said with a bright smile. </p><p>Jeongin only smiled knowingly. He knew that his little set-up date was the main reason for this, so he was a little proud of himself but he wouldn’t just take the credit for it. </p><p>“I think we actually need to thank Innie for that”, Byungho said with a smile. That surprised everyone expect Hyunjin, whose head snapped towards the kitsune in an instant because the blond wasn’t supposed to interfere in other peoples’ relationships just because he knew from Hyunjin that there was some kind of special connection. </p><p>Jeongin smiled innocently at his cousin while the siren was this close to murder him, regardless of his cuteness. </p><p>“Is something wrong, you two?”, Byungho asked the two cousins a little bit worried. “Everything is fine, hyung”, Jeongin said with a sweet innocent smile that made him look like he could do no wrong. Hyunjin also acted like there was nothing. The lesser the others know from the siren’s ability the better. </p><p>Somehow the group continued to talk about sexuality and relationships and it was somehow reliving to be out of the closet and accepted by your friends. Chan was right about that Minho had to internally admit. </p><p>Of course the topic mates came up as well since at some point Chan and Minho mentioned that Byungho and Jisung were their mates. Jeongin was pretty interested in that topic and so was Hyunjin. Felix was a little bit whiny because he hadn’t found his mate yet and Changbin and Seungmin tried to wrap their heads around this whole destiny chooses your significant other for you. </p><p>The redhead had an active problem with destiny since his talk with his father earlier this morning because Byungho being Chan’s destined mate made no sense if you took into consideration that the brown-haired male wasn’t supposed to have a destiny. </p><p>Seungmin gave up thinking about this. It only made his head hurt and let the feeling of uneasiness in his stomach grow. Maybe his father was just wrong and he and his brothers were connected to destiny after all.</p><p>Overall was to say that in points of relationship and sexuality there were no more secrets, which was a relief to everyone. Especially to the ones who had a rather complicated family history like Changbin, Seungmin and Jisung. </p><p>After the topic had died down a little, Jisung made an attempt to change the topic or rather get everyone’s attention. He succeeded and subconsciously took Minho’s hand to keep his nervousness and anxiety in check. </p><p>He then proceeded to finally tell his friends everything about him. From being left by his parents at a the age of four, to his father, to his torturous life with his uncle, to his struggles to make friends in school because he was so closed off, how much Seungmin changed his life by becoming his friend in middle school until he came to the point where he became friends with all of them and how grateful he was to have them. Tears had already been falling since the part with Seungmin but the warlock’s voice was still steady so he just kept going. He told them what really went down when he got the bite and finally he ended with his adoption into the Seo family because of Changbin. </p><p>“Just know that I am grateful to have all of you”, Jisung sniffled and that was he pointed where the warlock had a little Déjà vu because he was almost crushed by a gigantic group hug. Felix and Hyunjin were crying like Jisung while Chan and Jeongin had glossy eyes and were probably really close to tears. Changbin, Seungmin, Byungho and Minho stood composed for the sake of the others but they were probably plotting murder internally. </p><p>After the group hug more or less dissolve everybody calmed down and tried to compose themselves. Jisung was buried in Minho’s arms and wrapped up in a blanket. He looked so small it would have been adorable in any other situation. </p><p>“I know it’s not that important but since everybody seemed to have told something they hid. I want to add something”, Changbin said after everybody was calm again. The attention of the group was on the vampire. </p><p>“I am the heir of the vampire throne, meaning crown prince, which is why Ryan, Chantelle and the other vampires at school listen to me for the most part and think I should be among them”, the vampire told the group, which earned him some confused looks. </p><p>“You are a prince?”, Jeongin asked and tilted his head to the side. Changbin nodded. “Well, I am not calling you your majesty”, Minho huffed, making Seungmin and Jisung chuckle a little. “I don’t want to be treated like royalty, so I am totally okay with that”, Changbin shrugged at Minho’s statement. “I just wanted you to know, so you are prepared when you visit Jisung and me in the castle a little bit outside of Yellow Wood”, the vampire added with a little smirk on his lips. </p><p>“Oh yeah. That castle his huge”, Seungmin commented. “Wait, you already visited him?”, Chan asked with curiosity. The redhead nodded and showed a little smirk. “You need to invite all of us, hyung”, Jeongin suggested and bounced excitedly. </p><p>The talk about princes and castles continued but Seungmin and Jisung didn’t really participate in it. The blue-haired warlock looked at his best friend like he wanted to encourage the other to reveal his secret too but Seungmin won’t do that because it was not only his secret but also Wonpil’s and if he wanted to talk about his father and family in general he would have to talk with all his brothers. </p><p>Suddenly Seungmin noticed a shadow that scurried past their little camp. The redhead wasn’t sure if that was a person or not, so he figured it was an animal and focused on his friends’ discussion again while continuing to ignore Jisung’s look.</p>
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<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Glitter rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Something is seriously wrong with the barrier.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!”, a man with chocolate brown hair cursed at the big screen in front of him, which showed a lot of red dots on the map of Yellow Wood. Those dots became bigger by second and it didn’t seem like that was a good sign. </p><p>The male turned around sharply and grabbed his jacket, which was hung over the back of a chair next to the man before he began running out of the room. He put his pointer and middle finger on his right temple and internally said: “Everybody get out on the field now. We got a code red and I mean blood red.” </p><p>The man could hear some faint curses in his head but also voices that told him they will be on the field as fast as they can or that they were outside already. The rest he ignored for the sake of getting out on the field himself as quickly as possible.</p><p>You see this man with the chocolate brown hair was a guardian, who could use telepathy and read minds while he also possessed strong magical abilities. His name was Kim Taehyung but most of the time he was called J.Seph and some only knew him by his Codename “Ace” since he rarely got out of the little control-room he was previously in. He was someone, who worked behind the curtain and not on the field but today called for drastic measures. </p><p>“Please tell me you were joking about the code red”, another male voice could be heard in empty corridor, J.Seph had been running down. The voice belong to Kim Matthew, a rather tall male with a strong build and blond hair that almost seemed white. He was another guardian known as BM or under his code name “King”. </p><p>Just like J.Seph he possessed strong magical powers along with the ability to erase memories instead of telepathy and reading minds. But erasing others’ memories always caused Matthew to get headaches, which got more terrible the more he used his power. </p><p>“Why would I joke about a Code red?”, J.Seph snapped a little at his fellow guardian, who was now a little bit behind him but Matthew didn’t seem to be bothered by that. “Right. Stupid question. Are the girls already out there?”, the taller male asked when he caught up to his group member. </p><p>“Yes, they are”, J.Seph answered shortly while he continued to run towards the exit of the building closely followed by Matthew. “Alright with our two jokers out there we should be able to handle even a code red”, the taller male said enthusiastically, which made J.Seph almost snap again because he couldn’t understand why the taller was seemingly not worried at all that they were on the verge of exposition to the human world but he didn’t. </p><p>He heard a voice in his head, which almost made him freeze on the spot. “Enjoy your last bit of freedom”, the voice said. It wasn’t a male nor female voice. It was something dark, intimidating, wicked and it sounded warped. </p><p>Matthew came to a halt beside his group member. His wide eyes showed that he wasn’t the only one, who had head this voice in his head. </p><p>“We need to stop whoever wants to bring down the barrier because if we don’t we might loose everything we treasure”, the guardian with the chocolate brown hair stated and stepped out of the building with an scary amount of determination while Matthew quickly followed him. </p><p>The two male froze on their spot once more when they saw a sort of magical glitter rain down from the sky like snowflakes. J.Seph stared up the sky seeing the barrier crumble bit by bit. </p><p>They were too late, there was no more barrier to protect. </p><p>————————</p><p>“When will the firework start? I want to see the pretty lights”, Jeongin whined while looking up to the night sky. He wanted to see the pretty lights exploding in the sky and not wait until exactly midnight for it. </p><p>“Well, maybe they called it off because a certain kitsune wouldn’t stop whining”, Seungmin teased the blond a bit. Jeongin send him a little glare before he fixed his gaze onto the night sky once more. Time passed by so slowly if you waited for something. </p><p>“Why are you stressing so much about the firework? It’s not midnight yet. We still got ten minutes to kill”, Chan implied. Jeongin took his gaze off the sky to look to the wolf hybrid, who leaned onto Byungho. For a short moment Jeongin felt jealous. He wanted to cuddle someone now.</p><p>“Ten minutes are long when you got no one to cuddle”, the blond responded and pouted. Jeongin could feel Hyunjin’s offended gaze on him after he said that because twenty minutes ago the kitsune more or less dodge his affection and cuddles by suggesting a little place switch, which resulted in Hyunjin sitting next to Changbin, who the siren could cuddle with being dodged. </p><p>Back then the last thing Jeongin had wanted was being pampered by his cousin but now he was bored and a little tired, which made the pure idea of cuddling with someone under a fluffy blanket sound very tempting. </p><p>“Felix looks like he could need someone to cuddle”, Byungho suggested with a mild amusement in his voice and looked at the ginger for a brief second, who sat next to him. Jeongin’s gaze focused itself on Felix, who sat between Byungho and Minho and therefore between two couples. </p><p>“Yes, I am desperate for hugs and affection because I am sitting between two couples, who are very cute while being cuddled up together but nobody noticed this until now”, Felix joked with a little bit of a humorous but bitter undertone. </p><p>“Being mateless must be hard”, Minho teased his younger brother while provokingly laying his head on Jisung’s shoulder. Felix just send him a little glare while the rest of the group couldn’t help but chuckled. </p><p>Jeongin smiled a little bit to himself. Cuddling with Felix sounded like a very nice idea. Without warning anyone the kitsune crawled over the middle of their little sitting circle to get to the ginger, so he could wrap his arms around the young cat hybrid. </p><p>Felix showed a bright smile and also wrapped his arms around Jeongin letting the kitsune’s heart do a little jump. Before anyone could start teasing them, they settled on a more comfortable position, which meant that Jeongin’s back rested onto Felix’s chest while he ginger had his arms put around the younger’s middle and his head on the kitsune’s shoulder. </p><p>Suddenly something glittery began to fall down from the sky like snowflakes. Jeongin looked up the sky getting a bit of the glitter into his face. It wasn’t snow for sure because it disappeared the second it touched Jeongin’s skin. The kitsune frowned a bit feeling the extreme amount of magic in those tiny glitter pearls. </p><p>“What is this?”, Hyunjin asked while stretching out his hand to catch a little bit of the glitter in his hand. Jeongin looked over to his cousin seeing that the glitter disappeared quickly on his palm just like snow but without leaving a trace.</p><p>“Maybe the glitter is part of the firework?”, Minho suggested. It could be a possibility since the firework was something created by magic. In the corner of his eye Jeongin saw Chan’s digging in his jacket’s pocket for his phone. The older found it quickly, turning the display on to check the time. </p><p>“If this is part of the firework are five minutes early”, Chan said, stuffing his phone back into the pocket of his jacket. Jeongin looked up to the sky again, scanning over it with his eyes. He could faintly see that the glitter was coming from some sort of cracks in the sky, which became less visible with each passing second.</p><p>“It looks like something is breaking apart in the sky”, Jeongin heard Seungmin mumble. He internally agreed with the redhead. It was indeed looking like something was breaking in the sky. Was this really part of the firework? </p><p>Suddenly Changbin jumped up, letting the dark grey blanket he was previously cuddled up in with Hyunjin drop from his shoulders. The attention of the whole group was on him in a matter of seconds. Even in the darkness Jeongin could see the flash of fear in the vampire’s eyes.</p><p>“We need to get home, now”, the black-haired vampire urged and pulled Hyunjin up by his arm because he was the closest to him. “Why?”, Jisung asked confused while detaching himself from Minho, standing up too. </p><p>“Because this magical glitter that his currently raining down from the sky probably belongs to the barrier protecting our world from the human eye, which means it’s currently breaking down. It won’t be long until the humans can see us”, the vampire prince quickly explained a little panicked, which made everybody jump up in instant. </p><p>Jeongin could feel his heart rate picking up in fear while he felt himself slowly going into panic mode. When the barrier was breaking down he needed to get home as fast as possible. His aunt was home alone and probably sick with worry.</p><p>“Alright. Don’t panic. We need to stay calm and go somewhere the fastest way possible without  completely splitting up. It’s safer that way”, Chan spoke up and tried to keep everyone’s panic at bay. Jeongin looked over to the wolf hybrid. Chan had a calm posture and seemed to keep a cool head even in a situation like this. Byungho stepped next to Chan and took the wolf hybrid’s hand and intertwined their fingers. </p><p>“Listen everyone. We will calmly grab our stuff and walk away from here in case some humans can already see us. We won’t use magic or any supernatural ability, alright?”, the oldest of the group added in a soft, reassuring and calming tone.</p><p>Jeongin willed himself to take a breath and calm himself down. He wouldn’t do anyone a favor by panicking and losing his head. Besides if it came down to an encounter with humans Jeongin was the one, who could handle it the best with his illusions and tricks. </p><p>Everyone seemed to have calm downed a bit thanks to Chan and Byungho. Felix and Minho hid their cat ears and tail just in case humans could already see them and then everybody began packed their stuff like they decided to head home early for some reason.</p><p>Jeongin helped Hyunjin fold the fluffy blankets and put them onto a little pile while the rest of the group collected the pillows and dusted off the blanket they all sat on. The glitter stopped falling from the sky at some point and nobody could really say if it was a good or bad thing. </p><p>Suddenly Jeongin could hear loud, obnoxious laughing. In the corner of his eyes he could see Felix and Jisung jump in fright but also Hyunjin visible flinch. The noise was pretty loud, which made Jeongin wonder why he hadn’t heard it earlier. </p><p>The noise came a bit closer and in the end Jeongin could see a group of young men, who walked past the little hill the group was currently standing on. Jeongin immediately picked up on the scent of alcohol along with an unfamiliar one. No creature he knew had this kind of scent, which left the possibility of the group being humans. </p><p>“Are those humans?”, Felix whispered anxiously next to Minho while picking up a pillow and folded blanket to carry them while he cautiously watched the group of probably drunk young men, who were walking around the hill on the park’s path with fear glimmering in his eyes. He pulled the hood of his jacket a little more over his head to make sure his cat ears were well hidden. Jeongin felt sorry for the cat hybrid but he couldn’t say he was less scared.</p><p>“As long as they don’t notice us we are fine”, Seungmin tried to reassure the other in a low voice, so only those around him could hear it. The redhead seemed to have jinxed the situation because one of the laughing young men noticed the group of friends on top of the hill right after Seungmin said that. He stopped walking which also caused his four buddies to do the same. </p><p>“Hey, you. What are you doing up there? Celebrating something?”, the young men slurred. He was definitely drunk maybe even wasted and barely able to walk on his own. Jeongin gulped. They definitely saw them.</p><p>Jeongin looked at Chan and Byungho, noticing that they looked just as lost as the rest of the group. For all they knew those guys could be humans but they could also be supernatural creature non of them ever saw or knew the scent of but Jeongin was pretty sure they were humans. Meaning they shouldn’t make a mistake.</p><p>Jeongin took a quiet breath and let a little facade build itself around him. He had to handle this. The kitsune glanced at his cousin for a short moment, who was lightly shivering with eyes wide with fear. Yeah, Jeongin was the only one, who could handle this without attracting too much attention. </p><p>The kitsune turned to the group of young man, walking down the hill a little bit, so he was the one standing between them and his friends. He showed a cute smile like he always did and let it do it’s magic. </p><p>“Oh no. Just a little star gazing but we will be gone in a minute”, the kitsune answered the young man’s answer and he sounded absolutely normal. There was no tint of anxiety or fear in his voice but he could feel his heart thumping nervously in his chest.</p><p>“Star gazing? Sounds boring”, one of the other young men said, stumbling a bit closer to the hill. He probably wasn’t sober either but he didn’t slur as much as the first one. “Oh it’s not. For us at least”, the blond responded. He casually folded his hands behind his back. He did a little shooing motion with his right hand, which should tell the others to just go but it was dark and therefore only a few members could see it but the kitsune prayed to all known gods that the Lee brothers would get the message.</p><p>“We should go. Jeongin is distracting them”, Felix whispered behind Jeongin, letting the kitsune feel a certain amount to relief washing through his body. The gods should bless Felix for understanding the little signal Jeongin had given the group. </p><p>The kitsune continued to talk to the group of young men while always staying away from them a few feet. He made use of his charms as a kitsune to keep them focused on him and not his friends, who quietly walked down the hill and brought some distance between them and the strangers. </p><p>When the kitsune was sure his friends were far enough away he decided he should cut the conversation short and followed them. He wanted to just go home and stop talking to those drunk young men.</p><p>“It was really nice talking with you but I need to go now. My aunt is probably worried because I am not home yet”, the blond said with an apologetic smile on his features. He hoped the guys would let him go.</p><p>“What? Already? Come on hang out with us a little longer. Your aunt can wait”, the guy, who had introduced himself as Jeremy at some point, suggested. “Yeah. I mean you haven’t even told us your name yet”, another one of the young men added. </p><p>“No can do if I want to keep going out late”, the kitsune chuckled lightly. Internally Jeongin beefed them to just let him go. He wanted to just run after his friends. </p><p>“Alright but I totally want your name and number, cutie”, the one who seemingly was the most drunk slightly slurred. Now even Jeongin didn’t know what to do but he kept up the facade he had build for this conversation by smiling lightly. </p><p>“Jeongin come now or your aunt will kill us”, the kitsune could suddenly hear Felix yell. “Damn it. See you guys around”, Jeongin immediately used that to say goodbye to the group and run towards Felix’s voice as fast as he could. </p><p>The cat hybrid stood not that far away with the rest of their group of friends behind him. Jeongin suppressed the urge to teleport himself towards them and kept running until he had caught up. </p><p>“Alright Jeongin is here. Go”, Minho said as soon as the youngest of the group was close enough, so everybody could start running. Felix was running beside the kitsune, making sure he was okay, which he was beside the fact that he still had the feeling his heart was in his throat because of the nervousness he previously felt. </p><p>Jeongin could lie perfectly but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel his true emotions while telling someone his lies confidently. He was scared throughout the whole conversation with the group of young men because by conversing with them for a few minutes with only being some feet away from them made it clear to the kitsune that they were in fact humans. </p><p>“You did great, Jeongin”, Chan praised the youngest when he let himself fall back along with Byungho, so they were the ones at the end of the group, meaning they could make sure nobody got lost. </p><p>Minho was leading everybody to Felix’s and his house since it was the closest to the Young Wing Park. Jeongin couldn’t remember feeling this happy to see the Lee’s house. </p><p>When the arrived at the Lee’s house all of them were breathing heavily. Minho opened the front door rather quickly and let everyone pile into the house before closing and locking the door. Nobody said a thing they just stood in the hallway trying to calm down their breathing and comprehend what had happened not even an hour ago. </p><p>“What are we going to do now?”, Jisung asked out loud in a small voice getting the attention from everyone. “We will figure it out. For now we stay here and call our parents to tell them we are fine”, Chan answered once again in the calm reassuring tone that made everyone ease up a bit. </p><p>The wolf hybrid would make a wonderful group leader, Jeongin was sure of that.</p><p>————————</p><p>Everyone took off their coats and shoes, so they could move it the living room. They took out all of their phones, seeing that almost everyone already had several missed calls along with some messages, which all showed the concerns of their guardians or parents. </p><p>Jisung had several missed calls from Minhyuk and Changkyun, who he had exchanged phones numbers with not so long ago and also some messages that asked where he was and if he was okay. The warlock with the blue hair had never gotten a message like that since he never had an guardian, who cared about his whereabouts or well-being. </p><p>He wrote the older males both a message saying where he was, that he was fine and with Changbin since the vampire prince himself already talked to someone on the phone, which could easily be Changkyun judging by the way the vampire with the black hair talked. </p><p>Seungmin was probably the one who got no call or message from his parents but that didn’t mean he got no calls or messages at all. Wonpil had called him several times and so had Eve, Woosu, Rana and Samuel. It warmed his heart a little that his brothers along with Rana and Eve were so worried about him. </p><p>The redhead had called back his older brother while Byungho, who had also received several calls from his worried mother, half brothers and Rana, called back Eve. </p><p>Everyone, who they called back was overly relived to hear that nothing happened to them and that they were fine. </p><p>“Someone will probably come here to get Jisung and me”, Changbin said after finishing a very long call. He had been the last one to hang up. “My mother will probably come to get Jeongin and me too”, Hyunjin, who sat on the couch stated while he opened his arms in the direction of the vampire prince. Changbin casually walked over to the siren, straddling him and then wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Hyunjin showed a little smile before he intertwined his fingers and let his hands rest on the vampire’s back. </p><p>Normally Changbin would have been teased about it because this wasn’t fitting the dark persona he tried to maintain at least at school but today was very different. After all something had terrible happened and they weren’t really sure of the consequences this could bring, at least not yet. So seeking reassurance and comfort in another’s embrace seemed almost natural. </p><p>“I guess more or less everyone of you will get an little escort home”, Felix mumbled while he continued to play with Minho’s left hand to distract himself. The two Lee brothers sat beside each other on the ground with Jisung, sitting in front of Minho.</p><p>“What about the two of you? Will you just stay here on your own?”, Jeongin asked looking to the two Lee brothers. “Our mom is on her way here while our dad tries to keep their clan calm and under control but the clan territory is pretty far away, so we don’t know when she will actually arrive”, Minho answered. </p><p>“Will she bring you to the clan territory?”, Jisung, who leaned onto Minho’s chest questioned while looking up to the older. “I don’t know yet. Maybe she will just stay with us here”, Minho responded while slightly patting the warlock’s stomach with his right hand, which had been laying on the blue-haired male’s abdomen. He knew it was unlikely that his mother would stay here with Felix and him since it was a lot easier for her to just take her two sons to the territory of her clan because then she could easily take care of both.</p><p>“Everything will be fine. You will see”, Byungho said reassuring after a silence had fallen over the group that had clearly given away the anxious atmosphere in the room. </p><p>Maybe he was right but he could also be totally wrong.</p>
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<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Preparations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The day after the fall of the barrier is difficult for everyone.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Byungho stared out of his room’s window absentmindedly. He was seated on the windowsill with his back leaning onto the wall. Outside were snowflakes who seemingly danced from the sky to the already in white covered ground of the Kim mansion’s garden. </p><p>The male with the brown hair wasn’t focusing on the snowflakes though, no his gaze was focused on one specific spot a little above the garden, where you could see a sort of light blue glimmer. This little glimmer was the only thing you could see from the barrier, which protected the mansion. </p><p>Only yesterday when Byungho was brought home safely by his mother along with Seungmin had he accidentally overheard a conversation between Athea and his father, which revealed to him that his so called home had not only barriers that kept intruders away but also one that could protect the mansion from being seen as something supernatural by humans. It basically meant that for the human eye the mansion now looked abandoned while in reality nothing had changed at all.</p><p>This barrier was probably one of the few benefits of having the devil as your father. After all he was a very powerful sorcerer and wanted his home to be well protected from everything, that was why he created this barrier and gave Athea the power to activate and deactivate it. </p><p>But the aftereffect of this barrier along with the current situation was that none of the Kim siblings were allowed to go outside if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, not even Byungho and he probably had the most understanding mother. </p><p>Eve was very worried about her son and family because not even she, as an angle, had foreseen the sudden fall of the barrier, that kept the supernatural world hidden for centuries. Lucifer wasn’t any better. He seemed to be on the edge as well as stressed beyond compare but nobody knew why and this resulted in a rather tense and uncomfortable atmosphere within the mansion. It was suffocating in Byungho’s opinion. </p><p>He has never seen his parents this stressed and worried but some part of him was too afraid to ask them what was really wrong because he didn’t believe it was only the fall of the barrier that caused their strange behavior. </p><p>His brothers weren’t really relaxed either. Samuel was stuck to his mother, whose presence was the biggest comfort to him, Woosu had to be his mother’s assistant most of the time, Wonpil and Seungmin seemed just overall nervous and anxious. There was just no one in this household Byungho could spend time with, without having to be reminded what was going on outside of the mansion.</p><p>Byungho also asked himself why none of the powerful creatures of his family like his father, mother or Lilith seemed to plan on doing something against the exposure of the supernatural world to the human one. They seemed to just accept it like a fact, that couldn’t be changed no matter what you did. </p><p>A sudden ‘bing’ sound ripped Byungho out of his thoughts and made him flinch a little but it was only his phone which laid on his nightstand. The male shook his head lightly, pushing all the frightening thoughts in the back of his mind. He stood up from his current place on the windowsill and walked over to his nightstand, so he could look at the notification he got. </p><p>As soon as he saw that the notification was from the emergency news website of the supernatural world he felt uneasy and anxious once more. The title read “Important information for every creature. The barrier has fallen” and it made Byungho’s chest tighten. </p><p>Good thing Byungho could lie like a demon because he surely had done that when he told his friends everything would be fine. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>Felix sleepily walked down the stairs into the living room. He had only slept around three hours last night because he stayed awake until his mother had arrived at home around four in the morning and then he hadn’t slept properly because there was this anxious feeling clawing in his chest. </p><p>It was strange to the teen because normally he slept very well cuddled up to his mother and older brother. The idea of just sleeping all together in one bed came from Mrs. Lee, maybe because she almost cried while hugging her two boys after she had came home. </p><p>She had been just so relived that her boys were fine, even though she had heard their voices over the phone she just couldn’t hold back the few tears of relief that had escape her eyes when she gave them both a kiss on the head. </p><p>Minho and Felix had been sure that their mother would immediately bring them to the territory of the sky clan, which was pretty far away from Yellow Wood but she had said nothing about that, at least not until now. She had only thanked the gods that they were okay and then suggested a little bit of sleep. Since she had seemed pretty tired the boys had said nothing against this idea, even though they both didn’t have the feeling they would be able to sleep. </p><p>They were proven wrong though because they both fell asleep cuddled up to their mother in the gigantic bed of their parents. Minho was still asleep in said bed buried under a fluffy blanket and Felix only woke up because he had notice that his mother had gone downstairs, which had made him do the same almost automatically. </p><p>Entering the living room the ginger saw his mother sitting on the couch with her laptop on her lap, seemingly reading something Felix couldn’t properly see with his tired eyes. Like a toddler the young male waddled over to the couch, flopping down onto it and then curling into his mother’s side like a scared little kitten while she continued to read. </p><p>The young cat hybrid now saw that his mother was reading an article released on the emergency news website of the supernatural world. The article covered the topic of the fallen barrier and how to deal with it. </p><p>The main focus of the text laid on giving advice for efficient hiding to the supernatural citizens. At some parts it was even advised to leave bigger towns to go to rather abandoned villages were no humans lived nearby like the ones in the deepest forests or mountains. Sea creatures were made the offer of leaving the land completely and move to Atlantis, the more abandoned than lost city of mermaids and mermen. </p><p>Reading this scared the hell out of Felix. He stiffened while he stared at the screen with wide eyes. His mother seemed to have noticed that even though she was one of the people that barely reacted to anything when they were concentrated. </p><p>“Hey there. No need to be scared. We will manage this situation”, she reassured her son in a soft tone while also wrapping one arm around him. Her dark brown eyes, which were now focused on her son instead of the laptop screen held a motherly warmth. Felix looked up to his mother for a brief moment before he snuggled even closer into her in search of more reassurance, warmth and comfort. Her familiar scent began to surround him and it made the young cat hybrid relax a little bit. The thought of being safe as long as he was with his mother came almost naturally. </p><p>“Will we go to the territory of the sky clan?”, Felix asked with a rough and sleepy voice, glancing up to his mother once more. She still looked down at him with a loving gaze. “Yes but before that you should get a little more sleep, hon”, she answered still speaking in a soft tone while gently stroking her son’s shoulder. </p><p>Slowly Felix’s eyes began to drop close again when his mother began to run her finger through his ginger hair. “Don’t worry, Felix. I will protect you and your brother even when it’s the last thing I do”, he could hear his mother whisper before he was off to dreamland. </p><p>————————————</p><p>Jisung stared at the clock from his upside-down position like he could melt it with only his gaze. It had been around half an hour since the warlock randomly decided it would be a good idea to put his legs over the back rest of the couch, then hang upside-down and stare at the clock for no reason. He could have used his phone to entertain himself but no he chose a staring contest with the clock, whose regular ticking noise was the only sound that filled the gigantic main living room of the Seo castle. </p><p>“Why are you having a staring contest with the clock while laying on the couch like that?”, the warlock could hear someone ask. He pulled himself up to see the blond vampire with glasses, who was officially introduced to him as Jae, technically today, since it must have around two in the morning when he came to Felix’s and Minho’s house along with Changkyun to escort Changbin and Jisung to the castle of the vampire prince. But Jisung had already known him as one of Wonpil’s friends since he was there when they visited his best friend’s older brother by coming through the window. Not the best first meeting but at least special. </p><p>“Honestly I am just bored and I try to avoid thinking about what happened yesterday”, the warlock answered in a not so happy tone but pretty honestly. </p><p>The real reason Jisung avoided using his phone and turning on the TV was simple. He didn’t want to be confronted with “The fall of the barrier” like it was already called by the media of the supernatural world. </p><p>“You know that avoiding it won’t work forever”, Jae said, walking around the couch, so he could flop down onto it beside the young warlock. “I know”, the younger answered, getting into a normal sitting position. </p><p>Jisung already knew that Jae had been Changbin’s babysitter for a long time since the vampire prince told him almost everything about himself. That was properly the main reason why the young warlock felt like he could trust the blond vampire with the glasses even though he barely knew him. </p><p>“When will Changbin be finished with talking to his parents? I mean it’s been almost over three quarters of an hour since he went upstairs to get the phone call”, the warlock asked because he really wanted to change the topic and Changbin’s phone call was perfect for that since Jisung did have some questions about why the vampire prince seemingly didn’t want to be in the same room with him while talking to his parents. </p><p>Jae seemingly decided to let the topic change slide and sighed. Jisung hoped dearly that the older vampire didn’t think he was annoying. Somehow he wanted to be liked by Jae because he knew the blond vampire was important to Changbin. </p><p>“I don’t know when Changbin will be finished talking to his parents. I guess they are discussing further plans and stuff like that. Changbin needs to be super concentrated for that”, the blond answered, pushing his glasses, which had slipped down his nose a bit, back into place. </p><p>“I guess that was the reason why he said he would go to his room to take the call”, Jisung huffed, leaning back into the cushion of the couch’s backrest because slowly his head began to feel heavy for no reason. Did he forget to drink enough or was he falling sick or something?</p><p>This question was answered pretty fast when the warlock noticed the little blue sparks on his fingertips. “I hate that”, Jisung mumbled to himself and tried to stand up but he fell back onto the couch immediately, startling Jae, who seemingly wanted to say something. </p><p>“What’s wrong?”, the older asked rather worried, forgetting what he wanted to say beforehand. Jisung needed to concentrate really hard to hear the older because his head slowly began to feel like it was going to explode. </p><p>“Vision. Go away from me and call Seungmin” the warlock managed to say weakly while his surroundings began to spin and slowly became blurry. Jae did what the young warlock said without further question because slowly he was scared he would get burned by the blue sparkles that came out of the younger’s finger tips and got stronger by minute. </p><p>The blond fished his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and dialed Seungmin’s number while his eyes didn’t leave the warlock, who seemed to slowly drift away from consciousness. </p><p>———————————</p><p>Changbin walked down the stairs and then towards the main living room. He had finished his phone call with his parents, which was about hiding the vampire community. The prince’s parents wanted all vampires to move to Transylvania, the land of vampires to hide them there. This of course included Changbin and Jisung. </p><p>The vampire prince already tried to think of possibilities to tell this Jisung without having to say that they needed to basically leave everything they knew, along with their friends. It was hard to do that but Changbin knew that it was necessary to assure their safety, since no human lived in Transylvania. The humans only believed that. </p><p>But Changbin was hit with a bad surprise when he entered the main living and saw his blue-haired friend laying passed out on the couch. </p><p>“Jisung?”, the vampire prince called worriedly for his friend almost automatically, who slowly got surrounded by a shimmering blue shield. He wanted to run to the warlock but Jae kept him from doing it because Seungmin had just screamed into his ear to stay away from Jisung, if he didn’t have a death wish.</p><p>“We need to keep a distance between him and us”, Jae told Changbin, who looked like a frightened child while looking at his friend. That wasn’t far from the truth because the vampire prince was very scared for Jisung, since he had no clue what was going on with the warlock. </p><p>“Why?”, the vampire prince almost whispered, his eyes never leaving Jisung’s form who had now began to toss from one side to the other because he seemingly was in a lot of pain. </p><p>Jae wordlessly handed the younger his phone. Changbin looked confused at the device but then took it and held it to his ear. </p><p>“Listen up, hyung”, the vampire prince heard Seungmin’s voice say. “Jisung is having a vision, which sucks for everyone involved because he is in a lot of pain and watching that is probably even more painful but he will be fine. Trust me. There should be a blue shield around him right now and I swear don’t touch it if you don’t have a death wish. When the vision is finished this shield will disappear and Jisung will be knocked out cold for two to four hours. He will talk in his sleep and even answer you when you call him but he won’t remember anything you or he said in that state. He probably won’t even remember what his vision was about after waking up, so the only thing you can do for him is being patient and staying calm. Maybe also be quiet because his head hurts even more with every sound. Alright?”, the redhead finished explaining. </p><p>Even though it may sound stupid but by simply explaining the situation Seungmin had managed to take some fear away from Changbin and made him calm again. He didn’t really notice that himself but Jae sure did and it made him question some things. </p><p>“Alright. Thanks for explaining Seungmin”, the vampire prince thanked the redhead. “Well, Jisung probably wanted me to do this since he made Jae call me. I would come over to the castle if I was allowed to go out”, Seungmin lightly grumbled, which sounded kind of cute and made Changbin chuckle a bit. </p><p>Suddenly Jisung stopped tossing around in pain and became limp once more. The shield began to disappear just like Seungmin said but that also meant that he was knocked out cold now. </p><p>“The shield just went down, so I will take care of Jisung now. Thank you Seungmin”, Changbin bid his goodbye rather quickly and returned the phone to Jae, so he could look how Jisung was. </p><p>The warlock laid limply on the couch like a deadman but he definitely was breathing. Changbin didn’t dare to touch Jisung yet, since he really didn’t have a death wish, so he kneeled down beside the couch and waited a few more minutes before he dared to bring the warlock into a more comfortable position, since the younger was sprawled on the couch rather uncomfortably. </p><p>In the meantime Jae had ended his call with Seungmin after the redhead had explained everything he needed to know about Jisung’s current state in every detail. </p><p>“So now we just need to wait for him to wake up”, Jae more or less stated after he had put his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. Changbin nodded and put a blanket over Jisung without really looking at his hyung. This worried the older a little bit, since Changbin was one of the persons, who were bad at hiding things that really troubled him from persons he treasured. </p><p>“What did your parents say about the fall of the barrier?”, Jae asked after a little silence. “That all vampires will have to move to Transylvania”, the vampire prince mumbled but loud enough for Jae to hear. You could see sadness flash in the blond’s eyes and while Changbin couldn’t see it since his gaze still laid on Jisung, he could feel his hyung’s sadness. He also knew why Jae was sad because he also had two very close friends he would have to leave behind if he moved to Transylvania. </p><p>Jae wanted to ask when exactly all the vampires from Yellow Wood had to move to Transylvania but he kept his mouth shut when Jisung started to mumble names. “Seo Ahri, Seo Shiwon, Kim Eve, Kim Athea, Hwang Minji, Lee Minho ...”, were the first names he mumbled and it was kind of scary for Changbin to hear his parents’ names along with Minho’s leave the warlock’s lips in his current state. </p><p>The warlock mumbled some more names but it wasn’t understandable anymore. Suddenly he repeated Minho’s Name while frowning slightly. </p><p>“Why is he saying names?”, Jae asked more himself than Changbin but the vampire prince shook his head as answer anyway. He just hoped that Jisung was saying those names without them having a bad connection to his vision.</p>
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<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Goodbye with consequences</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chan gets to say goodbye to Byungho before leaving Yellow Wood but it’s not without consequences.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Mum, do we really need to go?”, Yedam whined when he saw his mother pack another box of the Bang’s families belonging into the back of the family car. “I am sorry, Yedam. I know leaving your friends behind like that isn’t easy for you but it will be safer at the pack’s house than here”, Mrs. Bang explained. </p><p>“Mum is right, Yedam”, Chan agreed with his mother while coming out of the front door of their family’s home with another box. He had heard their little talk from the inside of the house. </p><p>The young male with the black hair sighed, seemingly feeling a little bit betrayed by his older brother because he apparently had thought Chan would have his back in this matter because leaving Yellow Wood meant for him being farer away from Byungho, his destined mate. </p><p>What Yedam didn’t know was that Chan was indeed very emotionally conflicted about leaving Yellow Wood for the obvious reasons being his mate and his dear friends but his head won over his heart this time even though his wolf side was almost screaming for his mate at this point. </p><p>The fall of the barrier had been three days ago and a lot of families already moved away from Yellow Wood, especially the ones who had animal traits like most hybrids or couldn’t hide what they were like demi-dragons, elves and alas. Chan had already discussed the topic of moving away from Yellow Wood for a better safety in the group chat with his friends yesterday.</p><p>It was a disaster in all honesty because Jisung and Changbin were moving to Transylvania in two days, Felix and Minho had already left for the sky clan territory yesterday. The Lee brothers moving to their parent’s clan had been the reason they discussed the issue in the group chat in the first place since it was far away. Hyunjin, Jeongin, Byungho and Seungmin had said they would stay in Yellow Wood as far as they knew. </p><p>Minho and Jisung were the ones, who had barely wrote anything into the group chat and if you believed Felix and Changbin those two had been sitting depressed in some corner while the topic was being discussed. Jeongin had been the one, who had tried to cheer everyone up with the fact that they could still communicate with each other over Skype no matter how far away they were from each other. It worked but only partly because nothing could really lift the mood in that matter. </p><p>Chan let a little sigh escape his lips when he had gone back into the house to get the box from his room. He would dearly miss his friends, who would always tease each other or joke around, which would make him smile and he would especially miss Byungho. Damn the gods, he already missed the other’s adorable laugh, beautiful smile, kissable lips. </p><p>The wolf hybrid shook his head before his mind went completely south and focused on the task at hand, which was getting the last box of his belongings into the family’s car but he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering back to Byungho. The older male wouldn’t even be able to say goodbye to him personally because he was stuck at home.</p><p>Chan didn’t blame Byungho’s parents for keeping their son somewhere safe, which in the older’s case was his family’s home. He would probably do the same if he was a parent, which was also the reason he didn’t give his mother a hard time unlike Yedam. </p><p>The wolf hybrid was just saddened by the thought that he couldn’t hug Byungho goodbye, since he didn’t know when he would see the other again. </p><p>Once more a sigh escaped Chan’s lips when he entered his bedroom, which looked unnaturally tidy since his most important belongs, which were usually scattered around the place were packed into two boxes. One of the boxes was still in the room, placed on the ground at the foot of the wolf hybrid’s bed, just waiting to be picked up. </p><p>While walking over to the box, Chan looked around his room once more. He wouldn’t get to see it anytime soon, so he could at least memorize some details like the little dark blue star, which hung by the window as long as Chan could remember or the black ink scratches on his desk. </p><p>The wolf hybrid picked up the box and let his eyes wander around his room once more. He would surely miss it too. It held a lot of memories after all.</p><p>He shook his head, keeping himself from falling deeper into the memories playing themselves in his mind. Without further distractions the wolf hybrid left the room, closing the door behind him. He shouldn’t get sentimental now or he would get ideas that he would surely regret later on. </p><p>In a rather fast pace Chan walked down the stairs. “I won’t leave forever, therefore I should stop stressing about this”, the wolf hybrid thought to himself. Of course he knew that the current situation of the supernatural world was bad but since the fall of the barrier there hasn’t been one incident where humans were violent to a supernatural creature, which meant that maybe mankind didn’t even notice a change. So maybe supernatural creatures and humans could just live beside each other peacefully this time. </p><p>Maybe that was far fetched but Chan really wanted supernatural creatures and humans to just coexist, to bury the hatchet along with the fear from centuries ago and just be like friendly neighbors. Some may say that it was just a dreamer’s wish but Chan believed it could be reality if both sides showed acceptance and kindness towards the other. </p><p>While still thinking about this, Chan stepped out of the house. Even though his mind was elsewhere he was immediately knocked back into reality, when his nose picked up a very familiar scent. He almost dropped the box he was carrying when he saw Byungho standing in the front yard. </p><p>The older had his head turned towards Mrs. Bang since he was talking to her but Chan heard nothing besides his very loud heartbeat, who only got louder when Byungho turned his head towards him. His dark orbs as warm as always paired with one of his adorable smiles. </p><p>“Byungho”, the older’s name left the wolf hybrid’s lips without him really realizing it. It caused Byungho’s smile to widen a little bit. </p><p>“Hey Channie” he greeted the male with the silver hair by using the other’s nickname. Chan set the box aside immediately and walked over to the older in a fast but not rushed pace. Without caring that Mrs. Bang along with Yedam were watching them Chan cupped Byungho’s cheeks between his hands and kissed him without thinking much about it. </p><p>Almost automatically Byungho put his hands on his boyfriend’s waist while responding to the kiss, which maybe made Yedam squeal quietly but even if he did neither Chan nor Byungho noticed it. </p><p>Their kiss didn’t last long but it represented Chan and Byungho’s relationship pretty well. They were good friends, who had a crush on each other for a long time and then turned to lovers, who cherished the other like no one else. </p><p>After pulling away from the kiss Chan wrapped his arms around the older’s neck and just hugged him close without saying anything. Byungho understood that little untold message better than anyone, which was why his smile lessened a bit.</p><p>“I will miss you too”, Byungho mumbled, letting his head rest on the other’s shoulder while putting both arms around the wolf hybrid properly, so no space was left between them. </p><p>By the might of all gods Chan didn’t want to ever let go of Byungho. Not as a lover, not as a friend and not as his mate. He didn’t question why the older was even here. It was just a wonderful coincidence that he showed up here even though he wasn’t allowed to leave his home in the current situation. He just wanted to freeze this moment and stay in it forever but he knew himself that it wasn’t possible. Not now at least. </p><p>Chan slightly pulled away from the hug and Byungho didn’t stop him. There was this mutual understanding that they had to let go of each other at some point. </p><p>“We will see each other again. Hopefully soon”, Chan said to Byungho and partly to himself while he was looking into the older’s dark eyes with the golden shimmer. The brown-haired male showed a little but warm smile which was a silent agreement. A little peck on the lips followed and then they fully pulled away from each other. </p><p>Mrs. Bang and Yedam had packed all the boxes into the car and locked the front door of the house in the meantime. They were just waiting for Chan to finish saying goodbye to Byungho. Chan saw his mother smile apologetically when his eyes met her. She probably felt a little bad to separate her eldest son from his mate. </p><p>“Come and visit us at the moon pack territory when you are able to, Byungho”, Chan’s mother said when Chan walked to the car. “I will”, the brown-haired male with a little smile which was mirrored by Mrs. Bang. </p><p>The three wolf hybrid’s bid their goodbyes to Byungho and then drove off. It was a simple goodbye, see you again soon but was it really? </p><p>——————————</p><p>Byungho waved a little after the car of the Bang family before he walked back were he came from and that was the forest not far away from the Bang’s house. This was especially strange because the Kim mansion was located in the opposite direction but the brown-haired male needed a place were he wasn’t spotted that easily. </p><p>You see Byungho still wasn’t allowed to leave the mansion but he went to Chan before he drove off to say goodbye, which meant he sneaked out of the mansion to do so. Did he get help by one of his brothers? No, he left without telling anyone. Not even Eve knew he was outside. But he just had to say goodbye to Chan. </p><p>While walking into the forest in a fast pace Byungho checked his surroundings multiple times because a part of him was afraid that someone could see how he got into the forest the first time and how he will get out of it. </p><p>He halted by a tree, leaning onto it a little while he checked his surroundings once more. No one seemed to be in sight. Byungho let out a sigh into the cold January air and shrugged off his coat, revealing a white top, which didn’t cover the male’s back. </p><p>Suddenly a little spell seemed to wear off. Something black and feathery blinked on Byungho’s back. Shortly after that the spell had completely fallen, showing Byungho’s gigantic pitch black wings to the world. </p><p>Byungho grimaced when he felt the weight of his wings on his back. He hated them because they showed that he was neither a demon nor an angel, they were the proof of his father’s successful rebellion against the gods, as the devil himself claimed. These black wings were something that reminded Byungho of the things his mother gave up for him. </p><p>Today he had put them to use after a long time because even though he hated his wings, he liked, no, he loved Chan more. He had used them to get to the wolf hybrid quickly and efficiently, so he could say goodbye, without being noticed by anyone because while flying Byungho could make himself invisible and he didn’t need to use magic for that. </p><p>Byungho lightly stretched his arms and wings, preparing himself for his next flight. He picked up his coat and looked up to the leafless branches of the trees. There was enough space for him to fly through, so he activated his invisibility and took himself to the skies with one strong swing of his wings. </p><p>Even though Byungho checked his surroundings carefully he still missed one attentive pair of eyes, which thought they had witnessed the transformation from a normal human into a winged beast. </p><p>—————————</p><p>“Father, you won’t believe what I just saw”, a rather tall girl with black hair and eyes said after entering her home. Her tone wasn’t excited or scared, it was more of a saying-the-facts kind of tone. </p><p>The girl’s father, who sat at the little table in the open space living-dining-kitchen-room looked up from his newspaper to look at his daughter. “I can’t say if I believe it or not if you don’t give me further information, Lilian”, he answered while he watched the girl speed walking to the bookshelves, which were pushed back on the wall on the opposite side of him. </p><p>Lilian took one specific old book out of the shelf and walked over to her father while already flipping through the pages in search of one specific chapter. “I saw a seemingly normal guy who turned into a class ten winged beast. Probably an angel”,  the girl told her father. </p><p>The man immediately put down his newspaper and walked over to his daughter, who now found the page she was searching for and put the book down onto the table. The page was filled with sketches of different angels, some of them came close to the paintings you saw in churches and some seemed more like horrific, winged beast than a human in white cloths and with wings. Beside the sketches were bits of informations written in an very old, dead languages but Lilian and her father could read it perfectly. </p><p>“Tell me about this angel”, the father wanted to know everything about the creature his daughter saw. “He must have been a male judging by his looks, around 1.75 meters tall, broad shoulders, dark brown hair, pretty face. Like they wrote in the book the first word that came into my mind after noticing him was beautiful, he definitely has access to magic since he hide his wings perfectly but they weren’t white or golden like the ones of a normal angel”, Lilian trailed off a bit after the last statement. “Which color did they have then?”, her father asked. He had turned his gaze away from the book and to his daughter, who seemed hesitant. </p><p>“They were pitch black”, she said and met her father’s gaze. The man hummed and turned away from her, so he could walk back to the bookshelf taking out another old book and going back to the table. </p><p>“How do you feel about your discovery, Lilian?”, the man asked when he put down the book beside the other one. One hand laid on the cover of it making it impossible to read it’s title. </p><p>The girl looked at opened page with the sketches of the angels on it. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe in the family tradition and that I just ran off angered early today. I feel like destiny showed me that I was wrong to not believe into supernatural beings with this strange male angel”, Lilian said and took the violet stone, which was dangling around her neck into her hand. “I apologize for not believing in our family’s history and for questioning my mother’s legacy”, the girl added with sincerity in her voice. </p><p>Her father looked at her with a proud glimmer in his eyes and took his hand of the book he had laid down on the table. The title that was written in the old, dead language could be translated to “mixed blooded creatures” and Lilian seemed a little surprised when she read it. </p><p>“I think”, her father started and opened the book on a specific page, “that your black-winged angel is actually an offspring of an angel and a demon”, he continued and pointed at a page with theories about angel-demon offsprings. There wasn’t much written there but one theory stood out to Lilian. </p><p>Said theory made the suggestion that an angel-demon mix was neither welcomed in heaven nor in hell, so he walked around on earth with his black wings and both sets of powers, Light and Darkness. </p><p>“Father, we must begin to take action now. I thought the video of this news page that was released not long ago was fake and a joke but now I see that those creatures walk among us again and they still are too powerful for their own good”, Lilian stated after she had read every bit of information on the page. Her father nodded in agreement. </p><p>“It’s time to call some old friends and to bring all hunters of the supernaturals back to their old glory”, he said.</p>
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<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung has a terrible nightmare and fears it could be a part of his vision.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flames licked at the nearby trees while the few houses Jisung could see were already fully on fire. They were already crumbling and collapsing into each other while the little inferno made it’s way to the forest to destroy every last bit of life that was in it. </p><p>Jisung could only watch the uncontrollable flames, breath in the disgusting smoke, feel the incredible heat of the flames on his skin and hear the agonizing screams of people, who were trapped in the flames, burning to death while he couldn’t move an inch. His feet seemed to be glued to the ground and it didn’t matter how hard he tried to run away he was stuck in place. </p><p>Once again the warlock tried to use his magic to free himself but nothing was working. Casting a spell was also no option because he couldn’t even cry out for help if he wanted to, he had tried it already. </p><p>He was left standing in the middle of what was once a little field with flowers but now it stood in flames. Slowly the fire came closer and closer to Jisung like it was enjoying his suffering and seeing the tears that ran down his cheeks, which disappear with a hiss when they fell down onto the hot ground. </p><p>The warlock tried pulling his legs up again and failed once more. He frantically looked around and tried calling out for help once more but he stopped when he saw a familiar pair of orange cat ears through the chaos that was surrounding him. </p><p>His heart was hammering against his chest when he noticed that the owner of those cat ears was buried under a fallen but still burning tree. They didn’t move an inch, so even though Jisung had no voice, was stuck in place and no other option than to watch, he tried to call out to the person. </p><p>“Felix!” he screamed the cat hybrid’s name. With that everything seemed to crash and break down while the warlock’s vision became black. </p><p>Jisung jolted up from his laying position on his bed. His breathing was fast and heavy like he just ran a marathon, his cloths were sticking to his body because of the cold sweat he was bathed in, his vision was blurry from the tears that were streaming down his face and it took his mind way too long to realize that Changbin was sitting directly in front of him. </p><p>“H-hyung”, the warlock stuttered out and Changbin immediately hugged the younger because his tone alone sounded so vulnerable and scared it would have let anyone’s protective instinct kick in instantly. Jisung let himself slump against the vampire prince’s warm embrace and tried to calm down from his nightmare. Was it even a nightmare? </p><p>“You scared me, Jisung”, Changbin mumbled into the warlock’s blue hair. “What kind of dream makes you cry out for help and then scream for Felix?”, the vampire continued while rubbing the warlock’s back comfortingly but then he stopped when a rather scary thought crossed his mind. “Was it a clear up part from your vision?”, the vampire prince asked with a badly hidden fear in his voice. </p><p>Jisung didn’t know how but Changbin became an expert for visions overnight, which could come in handy but it was a little frustrating since the blue-haired warlock had to read a lot of books to figure out at least something about his visions but he had to admit the vampire prince’s question was a good one. </p><p>“To the gods I hope not. I was in the middle of a fire, watching everything burn to the ground while being able to do nothing and then I saw a pair of orange cat ears, which looked exactly like Felix’s and ...”, a light sob cut Jisung’s explanation off, which caused Changbin to continued his soothing rubbing of the other’s back. </p><p>Jisung took a deep breath before he continued to talk. “I don’t know if that was a nightmare or a vision because myself was in it. I saw my legs, arms, everything but I couldn’t move or talk. Normally my visions clear up randomly while I’m awake. I can see other people and surroundings but never myself”, the warlock then continued.</p><p>Changbin hummed as an answer to that and just continue to hold the warlock until he had fully calmed down. It took a little bit of time for Jisung to recover from this nightmarish vision-whatever and leave the vampire prince’s safe and warm hug.</p><p>———————— </p><p>“What should we do? It was planned that we would leave for Transylvania later today”, the warlock asked and whipped away the last bits of his tears. Changbin seemed a little lost in thought. “I would call Minhyuk-hyung and ask him about this but I know from Changkyun-hyung that he is busy because of the fall of the barrier”, the vampire prince thought out loud. </p><p>Jisung sighed and brought his knees up to hug them. “So we can just hope it was a stupid nightmare”, he mumbled. Changbin looked at the warlock, who still seemed so fragile and scared it made his heart break a little. </p><p>“We can call Felix and Minho to make sure they are fine and tell them about your dream, maybe they can put it to use”, the vampire suggested and Jisung nodded his head weakly. </p><p>“Everything is going to be fine, Jisung”, Changbin said and patted the warlock’s head while he grabbed Jisung’s phone from the warlock’s nightstand. He turned the display on and looked at the time. It was 4:43 in the morning. </p><p>“They both will probably be asleep”, the vampire prince said and showed Jisung the time. “Can we still try to call them?”, the warlock asked in a small voice, looking at the vampire with his big sky blue eyes. Changbin became weak almost instantly. </p><p>“Alright but if they come back to Yellow Wood to kill me for waking them up that’s on you”, Changbin tried to joke to cheer the younger up. The warlock showed a little smile but nothing more, so the vampire just unlocked the phone. </p><p>Changbin knew Jisung’s password ever since he moved into the castle. The vampire searched in the contacts for Minho’s number and called the older since he was more likely to pick up if Jisung was the one calling him. He put the phone on speaker but immediately there was this robotic female voice saying “Sorry this phone number is currently out of reach. Please try again later”. </p><p>Changbin could literally see Jisung stiffen and he would lie when he said that he wasn’t worried now. Yesterday there wasn’t a problem with reaching out to the two cat hybrids. Jisung even had a pretty long phone call with Minho and as far as the two of them knew they didn’t change their position, which meant either something was wrong with the connection in general or Jisung’s nightmare was indeed a cleared up part of the vision he had three days ago. </p><p>“I will try to call Felix”, Changbin said and dialed the ginger’s phone number in hopes of him picking up. Again, you could only hear the robotic female voice say: “Sorry this phone number is out of reach. Please try again later”</p><p>There was a heavy silence that filled the room after Changbin ended the call. Thousands of thoughts were running through the heads of the teenagers and many of them weren’t good. </p><p>“This can’t be a good sign”, the vampire broke the silence with a mumble he hadn’t planned on letting out but it was like a kickstarter for Jisung. </p><p>The warlock immediately stood up like a lighting, walking over to his closet and rummaging through it in a hurry seemingly in search of something important. </p><p>“Jisung, what-“, Changbin started but was cut off by the younger. “Minho’s dark blue hoodie. I kind of stole it from him on accident”, the warlock already answer the vampire’s question. Jisung pulled out the dark blue hoodie not long after. </p><p>“I know where the sky clan territory is, since I asked Minho about it yesterday. Maybe my dream hasn’t come true yet and we can still save them and their parents’ clan from the fire”, the warlock continued with a determination in his voice that even covered how scared he actually was. </p><p>Changbin was surprised to see his friend like that and who was he to not help him? “Alright, so we will go there but what do you need Minho’s hoodie for?”, the vampire asked standing up from the bed as well. </p><p>“I learned a searching spell from Seungmin some time ago and for that I need an item that belongs to the person I am searching for. Hopefully I won’t need to use it though”, the warlock answered and picked out a yellow hoodie and a simple jean to wear before closing is wardrobe again. </p><p>——————————</p><p>“Sounds like a plan. Meet me downstairs in five minutes”, the vampire said and dashed out of the room with his supernatural speed. Jisung looked after him for a brief second before he began changing into the cloths he picked out. </p><p>After this he picked up Minho’s hoodie again, put his phone into the back pocket of his jean and left his room, going downstairs just like Changbin wanted. </p><p>The older male already stood at the end of the stairs clothed completely in black with two helmets in hand. “Get your coat. We will use my motorcycle”, he said and Jisung nodded, quickly grabbing his coat from the hangers in the entrance hall of the castle and then following Changbin to the little garage, where the older’s motorcycle waited patiently. </p><p>“Did you leave Changkyun-hyung and Jae-hyung a message so they don’t turn Yellow Wood upside-down in the search of you?” Jisung asked while putting on his coat and the helmet Changbin gave him. </p><p>“Trust me they would also turn Yellow Wood upside-down in the search of you but yes I did. Hopefully they don’t kill us when we come back”, the vampire answered, putting his helmet on as well and seating himself on his motorcycle. </p><p>“At least I can say you made their life stressful before me”, the warlock joked when the tide Minho’s hoodie around himself under his coat. He made a double knot with the sleeves, so the hoodie would stay in place then he got onto the motorcycle behind Changbin. </p><p>“I can’t even deny that. Hold on tight or you will fall off but don’t forget to give me directions because I have no clue where to go”, the vampire instructed and Jisung nodded, putting his arms around Changbin’s stomach. The vampire prince started the engine of the motorcycle and then they were speeding down the hill while the sun wasn’t even up yet. Both hoping that maybe they would drive to the sky clan territory for nothing. </p><p>————————————</p><p>“Come on you two. Relax a bit and do something fun”, Duri, a female cat hybrid in Minho’s age said cheerfully trying to get the Lee brothers to join her on fishing at the river. Both Felix and Minho were skeptical because they didn’t see how fishing with your bare hands in freaking winter  was fun in anyway. They also questioned why their parents thought it was a wonderful idea to pair them up with Duri. She was nice and everything but you notice pretty fast that she was born and raised the traditional cat hybrid way, which meant she never came into contact with magic and never saw a city close up, so her understanding for the worry and fear Minho and Felix carried around with them since the fall of the barrier was zero. </p><p>“Listen Duri we have a different idea of fun and we definitely won’t relax. Not with the current situation”, Minho tried to explain to her but she just tilted her head to the side and asked “Why” like a toddler and that kind of stupidity was getting on Minho’s nerve rather quickly. </p><p>“We are sorry, Duri. We just don’t want to go fishing right now”, Felix tried to excuse himself and Minho. “Alright, then we will just train some fighting moves, even you city strays should have fun with that”, was Duri’s next suggestion while she rolled her eyes in annoyance. </p><p>Maybe the Lee brothers would have agreed to that if the female cat hybrid hadn’t called them “city strays”. It was a term used to describe cat hybrids who lived in cities and without a clan. It wasn’t an offensive word per say but often used in a negative context. </p><p>“I rather not. I will be in my room if someone needs me”, Minho said a little defensively and speed walked away without saying anything else. </p><p>“Never knew that being separated from your mate makes you this grumpy”, Duri commented Minho’s reaction while looking after him. “You just used the wrong words“, Felix replied and immediately ran after his older brother. </p><p>The whole clan was aware of the fact that Minho had found his mate because another female cat hybrid had tried to hit on Minho on the first day of the Lee brothers being here. Minho had brushed the girl off quickly by saying he already had a wonderful mate and this information made its rounds in the clan quicker than a kitsune could teleport. </p><p>Felix managed to catch up to his brother rather quickly even though the older was walking very fast. “Hyung, wait”, the ginger said and grabbed his brother’s arm to make him slow down. Minho didn’t rip his arm away from his younger brother’s grip and he slowed down but he said nothing. </p><p>The two brothers just stood there alone in the forest, not far away from the few rather big houses, which served as sort of modern camp for the whole clan. </p><p>“We shouldn’t push Duri away so much. She just tries to be nice and give us something to do. I mean we can’t just sit in our room the whole day sulking over the fact that we are far away from our home and friends”, Felix reasoned, looking at his older brother. Minho’s gaze was focused on the way ahead.  </p><p>“That’s not the reason”, Minho answered in a small voice. “Of course I miss our friends but I don’t get how Duri and everyone here can be so cheery when he could be hunted down by humans any second. Humans are stupid that’s why they live everywhere, even in places where their chances of survival are zero without special help”, the older continued and ripped his arm out of Felix’s grip. </p><p>“Shouldn’t they prepare for the worst case scenario instead of playing around?”, Minho added the question and Felix knew he had a point even though he wasn’t completely right. Preparation was important but not loosing hope was essential because without hope nothing would work.</p><p>“Yeah, they and we should prepare but that doesn’t mean we should all be easily irritated and grumpy”, the younger responded, continuing to look at his brother. Minho still looked at the way ahead and crossed his arms over his chest before sighing, letting a puff of white mist come out of his nose. </p><p>“I hate this whole situation”, he mumbled. “Not only you, hyung”, Felix chuckled humorless. This situation was just terrible. Felix and Minho were stuck with cat hybrids their age while their parents tried their uttermost best to keep everything in order and to keep everyone safe. </p><p>“I think a run would be nice now”, the ginger suggested after a short silence, feeling the need to just power himself out, so he wouldn’t overthink the current situation. “Only if it’s just the two of us. My gut tells me I don’t like Duri”, the older responded earning a little giggle from his brother. It totally wasn’t obvious that Minho disliked Duri but Felix knew where the older was coming from if he was honest. </p><p>“I couldn’t tell you disliked her”, Felix said sarcastically. Minho looked at him with a blank face and suddenly started running without any warning. </p><p>“Not fair!”, Felix yelled after him and began to chase his brother. The snow crunched under their boots when they speeded through the forest, dodging trees and low hanging branches. </p><p>Felix almost crashed into a tree when Minho made a sharp right turn but he somehow managed to give himself a little boost by pushing himself away from the truck of the tree. The ginger was on his brother’s heels now, just a little bit faster and he would have caught up to him but Minho tripped. </p><p>Yes, Minho tripped which caused Felix to trip over him which resulted in both of them laying in the snow, laughing. </p><p>“Why did you suddenly trip?”, Felix laughed at his brother when he had sat up. “I don’t know. It wasn’t like I plan it”, Minho replied still laughing a little. The older sat up and shook his head to get the snow out of his hair. </p><p>If anyone had seen those two they would have shaken their head and continued walking. They looked like children in the bodies of almost adults, who laughed because they simply tripped but they both needed this. They needed this little moment, where they were just children playing chase and ending up in a situation, where they couldn’t help but laugh and giggle at their own stupidity. </p><p>But the moment didn’t last. Both stopped laughing and giggling immediately when their noses picked up the scent of smoke in the cold January air. </p><p>“A fire in winter?”, Felix asked not only Minho but also himself while standing up and looking around, searching for the smoke. Minho stood up as well and tested the air again. You could definitely smell smoke but where was it coming from? </p><p>The question was answered pretty quickly when they both saw a lot of grey smoke in the air and it seemingly wasn’t very far away. “Damn it. One of the clan houses could be on fire”, Felix panicked a little and started to run back the way they came from. Minho wanted to follow him but his ears suddenly perked up. They had picked up on a clicking sound which made him look around carefully. </p><p>Suddenly he felt a light sting on the side of his neck, which immediately made him claps his hand over the place. He felt something metallic and pulled it out of his neck looking at it. It was a little injector. </p><p>Minho’s realization came too late. His legs broke away under him when he wanted to start running. His body fell limp onto the cold ground of the forest and the last thing he could hear was a female voice that said: “Good night, kitty”</p><p>———————————</p><p>Jisung gasped for air when he came back to reality after a part of his vision decided to clear up randomly. The part had shown that Minho would be captured by a female human. Like hell Jisung would let that happen! </p><p>“Changbin drive faster”, he yelled over the wind that was brushing past the motorcycle with a little bit of panic in his voice. “Why all of the sudden? We have been driving for hours already we will probably be there in some minutes”, the vampire prince yelled back. “Minho will be in trouble and not because of the fire but because of humans!”, the warlock replied, so that Changbin could hear him.</p><p>Without further questioning the vampire speed up even more, racing down the street that lead deep into a forest. “By all the gods let Minho and Felix be safe”, Jisung thought to himself.</p>
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<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Smoke</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung and Changbin arrive at the sky clan territory and start their search for the Lee brothers.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jisung grew more anxious and worried the closer they got to the sky clan territory. The warlock couldn’t see any kind of smoke yet but there was this gut feeling that told him something was about to happen any second. </p><p>Changbin wasn’t doing any better as Jisung noted since he could more or less feel how tense the vampire prince was because the was still clinging onto him. </p><p>The street they were driving on got smaller and smaller but also more broken at some parts. Changbin had to slowdown because of the bad conditions it was in, which didn’t help the teenagers with their current state of anxiety and immense worry for their friends. </p><p>The street ended with a little parking lot surrounded by trees, where three cars stood. Now Jisung regretted even more that he hadn’t been able to say goodbye to Felix and Minho personally, when they left Yellow Wood because if he had done that he would know how their parents’ car looked. This information could have been useful now. </p><p>The blue-haired male got off the motorcycle pretty fast after Changbin had let it come to a halt. He immediately untied Minho’s blue hoodie, which had been wrapped around his waist for the whole ride here and already mumbled the searching spell. </p><p>While Jisung was mumbling the hoodie began to glow light blue and started floating in front of the warlock. In the meantime Changbin had parked the motorcycle properly and turned off the engine while watching his friend work. He was surprised how clam Jisung had become while mumbling the searching spell but it didn’t last. </p><p>When the warlock was finished with the spell and the hoodie began to float away on its own he seemed scared again. Scared for his friends’ safety even though neither Jisung nor Changbin had seen smoke or anything that would suggest there was a fire nearby. Maybe they arrived early enough? </p><p>“How fast does this thing float?”, Changbin asked after joining Jisung’s side. Both of them started walking after the blue hoodie after, which was floating into the forest. “I don’t really know. I never tested the speed of this kind of spell”, Jisung admitted while nervously playing with the sleeves of his coat. </p><p>“Let’s find out then”, Changbin said and jogged in front of the warlock, so he could climb onto the vampire’s back. Jisung found no argument against using Changbin’s supernatural speed to their advantage, if the spell reacted to it. With a little bit of a hesitation Jisung climbed onto Changbin’s back. He was a little bit worried about his weight but then he remembered that vampires had supernatural strength just like werwolves. </p><p>“Ready?”, Changbin asked without letting the floating hoodie out of his eyes. “Yeah”, Jisung said, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck because for the gods’ sake he didn’t want to fall down when Changbin ran around the forest with his incredible speed.</p><p>Rather slowly for a vampire did Changbin run towards the floating hoodie, testing if it reacted when Jisung was closer. The hoodie suddenly surged forward when Changbin was beside it. “It does work”, Changbin stated and he began to chase the hoodie with his full supernatural speed. </p><p>Jisung was clinging onto the vampire in hopes of not falling down but suddenly the warlock felt a wave of magic energy wash over the forest, which automatically made him yell: “Changbin, stop”</p><p>The vampire immediately stopped running, coming to a stop rather abruptly. At the almost same time the hoodie dropped to the ground like it had never been floating but that was the least concern Jisung had at the moment. He jumped off Changbin’s back and looked around while his friend was obviously confused. </p><p>There was still some magic lingering in the air but it was already fading. “There was a kind of magic wave that washed over the whole forest”, Jisung told Changbin, who had already opened his mouth to ask what was going on but now closed it again because his question was more or less answered. </p><p>But an idea dawned to the vampire, which he didn’t like. “Could that magic wave cause a fire?”, Changbin asked, looking at Jisung. The warlock frowned a little, so Changbin took this as the clue to explain what he meant. “It’s winter but there probably will be fire but with the snow and everything there is nothing that could burn properly, so maybe the fire was caused by magic”, the vampire explained. </p><p>Jisung looked even more confused. “Which magical creature would randomly start a fire, which endangers a lot of creatures? Wait, what if...”, the warlock trailed off. In his head there was a little theory forming but it sounded surreal to him. If Minho’s capture by humans was round the same time as the fire, which was maybe caused by a magical creature, did that mean the humans were forcing a creature with magical abilities to do there biding or maybe they even cooperated? But wait that would mean there was an imprisoned magical creature or a traitor. </p><p>“Jisung, look”, said Changbin, disturbing the warlock’s train of thoughts. The vampire pointed at something above the blue-haired male, so Jisung turned around and looked a little upwards, only to see smoke, which was rising up into the sky. </p><p>“Damn it”, the warlock cursed, he ran to Minho’s hoodie and picked it up, performing the searching spell once more. “Find the clan camp and help the other cat hybrids to escape from the fire. We need to stop my visions from becoming true”, the warlock said and there was this confident aura again. Jisung seemed to switch it on and off but it won Changbin over anyway. </p><p>“Please be careful when you meet a human”, Changbin said before speeding off towards the fire. Jisung turned to the floating hoodie and began to chase it as fast as he could just like Changbin had done beforehand.</p><p>————————————</p><p>Felix just ran and ran. He was so afraid that his parents were caught in the fire it made him forget everything else. He didn’t realize that Minho wasn’t behind him, that his lungs were burning because of exhaustion and the smoke that became thicker and thicker the closer he got to the actual fire. </p><p>“Mom, Dad”, Felix cried out and coughed because of the thick smoke which began to surround him like a suffocating, grey blanket. He tried to concentrate on his hearing sense but the only thing he could decipher from the cracking of the fire was the sound of small animals running away.</p><p>“Hyung we need to-“, he looked over his shoulder and stopped mid sentence when he realized his older brother wasn’t behind him. He wanted to scream for the older but he just ended up in a coughing fit which made him stop running in an instant. The smoke seemed to claw and burn in his lungs while making his vision blurry and teary. </p><p>He had been a fool for running towards the fire instead of bringing a good distance between it and himself. His instincts had told him to run away but his mind had overpowered them by simply letting the young boy picture his parents caught between the flames. Now he wasn’t even at the burning buildings but already coughed his lungs out while inhaling just more of the smoke. </p><p>“Mom, Dad, hyung”, Felix croaked out rather desperately before he fell back into his coughing fit. Why had he been so stupid? He should have thought before he started to run; he should have checked if Minho was behind him before reaching the fire. </p><p>The young cat hybrid dropped onto his knees, desperately trying to stop his coughing by subconsciously putting his hands on his burning throat. He squinted his eyes trying to stop the tears, that were already running down his cheeks. Was that it? Would he die from smoke poisoning, simply because he didn’t think his plan through, because he let his emotions get the better of him? </p><p>Suddenly Felix’s ears picked up on a faint sound, barely audible between the still a little distant but loud cracking of the fire. It sounded like very fast footsteps on the snowy ground. He tried looking around but the thick, grey smoke was covering everything and the ginger didn’t think he would be able to scream. Still, he let out a desperate, barely audible “Help”. </p><p>The person must somehow heard him because the next thing he knew he was looking into the black eyes of Changbin. Felix couldn’t say anything before the vampire simply picked up the cat hybrid like he weighed nothing and ran away from the smoke and fire in his supernatural speed. </p><p>Felix was close to just blacking out but his mind refused to let him. He had brought this onto himself so he should at least stay conscious to maybe help someone. </p><p>Changbin brought the cat hybrid as far away from the fire as possible. He slowed down when they had a safe distance between the fire and themselves. “By all the gods, Felix. What were you doing there?”, the vampire asked beyond worried when he slowly put the cat hybrid down. The ginger only shook his head when Changbin carefully put him down and leaned him against a tree. </p><p>“Help the others”, Felix croaked pointing at the place were the houses must be on fire, judging by the huge smoke cloud that was rising up to the sky above it. Changbin looked into the direction and gave the ginger a little nod. “I will, so stay put and stay out of sight”, he said and speeded off again. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Jisung’s shaky and heavy breath was clearly visible in the cold air but he didn’t care. He had to find Minho before the humans got to him and if that meant running like a maniac until his legs gave out then so be it. The hoodie was still floating a few feet in front of him, guiding him to Minho’s current location. </p><p>Suddenly a strange feeling in his chest made Jisung stop running. He was breathing heavily and since there was a kind of pain in his chest he automatically clenched his hand over it. The blue hoodie was floating in the air not far away from Jisung like it was waiting for him. </p><p>“Stop hurting”, Jisung internally said more or less to his chest. Suddenly Jisung could faintly hear a female voice saying something and the pain in his chest was gone in an instant. The warlock found it strange but he was way more focused on the female voice. He ended the searching spell nonverbally and slowly walked to the hoodie to pick it up silently. </p><p>As quiet as he could, Jisung sneaked towards the place were he thought he had heard the female voice. It didn’t take him long to see a rather tall female with black hair put up in a pony tail through the leafless branches of the trees. </p><p>“I got a young, male, class three, catlike creature. Probably inexperienced and not fully grown”, Jisung could hear the woman say into a little technical device in her ear. The warlock had a bad feeling about this, so he mumbled a little spell that would make him lighter in hopes of him being quieter like that. </p><p>Jisung sneaked further towards the woman, seemingly successfully since she didn’t even look into his direction once. Finally Jisung could also see the creature the woman was talking about earlier. It was a young, male cat hybrid with hazelnut brown hair who laid in the snow seemingly unconscious. </p><p>“Minho...”, Jisung involuntary whispered. He couldn’t help but stare at Minho’s unmoving form, which just laid there in the cold snow to the woman’s feet. This sight alone let a certain power flood Jisung’s system, he didn’t know he had. </p><p>All of the warlock’s hidden anger seemed to be channelled into magic power which directed itself onto the woman. It made her trip over nothing and fall onto the cold ground. That was the moment her dark eyes locked with Jisung’s sky blue ones. She wanted to touch her ear piece to get help but the warlock held her hands down with his magic. </p><p>They didn’t break eye contact because for Jisung it would mean loosing the control over her hands but why the woman didn’t look away was a mystery to the warlock. Jisung tried to remember a spell that wouldn’t let her move or at least restricted it but slowly the fear from before was coming back into his mind and that didn’t make things easier. </p><p>“You can’t hold me here forever, young warlock”, the woman said in a calm almost cold tone, it made Jisung almost shiver. The young male didn’t answer, no, he internally questioned himself if this woman really was just a ordinary human because he clearly had his doubts now.</p><p>Jisung tried to think back to his lesson with Wow of A.C.E in hopes of remembering a spell that would be helpful and he did. Wow had showed them three spells, a direct attack spell, which was really strong but would knock your opponent off their feet, a little barrier spell to protect themselves and a restriction spell to keep your opponent from moving without hurting them. </p><p>The blue-haired male repeated the restriction spell in his head before mumbling it out loud, hoping that he didn’t screw up. He obviously didn’t because blue, glowing vines came out of the snow on the ground beside the woman and began to travel up the her arms and legs, successfully keeping her from moving much. </p><p>Finally Jisung could break eye contact with her and turn his attention to Minho, who was still laying on the ground not moving at all. Panic and fear washed over Jisung letting his channeled anger towards the woman disappear completely. </p><p>“Minho?”, the warlock said the older’s name with a shaky voice while kneeling next to him and gently pushing his shoulder. No reaction. Jisung slowly began to completely panic. Why was Minho unconscious? What did that woman do to him? Is he even breathing? </p><p>Jisung checked the older’s breathing by holding his pointer finger under the cat hybrid’s nose. Maybe it wasn’t an efficient or professional method but at least Jisung could feel that Minho was in fact breathing steadily. </p><p>The warlock pushed all the thoughts of fear and panic away and focused on the fact that Minho was breathing. He was alive. Without thinking any further Jisung slipped one of Minho’s arms over his shoulders, so he could somehow carry the older. </p><p>The realization that Minho was heavier and taller than Jisung came pretty fast when the blue-haired male stood up but the warlock was smart enough to use the “feather weigh” spell he had used before on the cat hybrid to make him lighter. </p><p>Jisung looked at the woman once more. She just watched him carry Minho away without saying anything or even trying to fight against her restrictions. It crept the young warlock out but he couldn’t do anything about her anyway, so he just walked away as fast as possible while carrying Minho. </p><p>He had no clue in which direction he had to go but he would figure it out when he had brought Minho far enough away from the creepy female human. At least he hoped he would.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Hunters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin finally finds a cat hybrid trapped in the flames and Jisung meets members of NCT.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin never thought he could become tiered from using his supernatural speed but he was proven wrong. Running around the fire multiple times in search of people, who needed his help was exhausting even for a vampire with his abilities. </p><p>The vampire prince also wasn’t able to find anyone. Felix seemed to be the only one, who was near the fire. Maybe the rest of the cat hybrids already ran away? Changbin shook his head lightly. He couldn’t stop searching now, what if he had missed a clue or something similar. </p><p>This was probably the only time Changbin wished he had the excellent senses of a hybrid or werewolf instead of just average hearing, a little bit of night vision and a tendency to smell blood easily. </p><p>The vampire stopped at a safe distance to the fire and smoke to catch his breath. The flames seemed to grow and eat more and more of the forest even though the snow should keep the fire from getting bigger. Plus the amount of smoke, which accompanied the fire was just too much for it to be natural.</p><p>“This can’t be a natural fire or created by humans. It has to be caused by magic but who would do such a thing?”, Changbin asked himself when he eyed the flames from the safe distance. He was still breathing heavily from running around so much. </p><p>Suddenly the vampire heard a high pitched scream from not far away. Without thinking much about it, Changbin ran towards the scream and therefore closer to the fire again. He tried not to breath in too much of the thick, dark smoke which lingered in the air like mist. </p><p>The vampire looked around, searching for the person, who had screamed, getting closer and closer to the fire. Suddenly Changbin’s eyes fell onto a pair of cat ears. Orange cat ears. Without hesitation Changbin ran towards the pair of ears, spotting a female cat hybrid around forty who was buried under the trunk of a tree which had already caught fire. </p><p>The teary eyes of the cat hybrid snapped towards Changbin when he stopped. The vampire was immediately reminded of Minho and Felix when he looked at the woman. The orange cat ears and hair, the piercing green cat eyes and facial features just screamed “related to the Lee brothers”. </p><p>“Who are you?”, the woman hissed in both pain and distrust. The vampire prince didn’t blame her for the threatening tone since she was trapped and didn’t know who Changbin was. He could be her enemy or a human for all she knew. </p><p>“Changbin. A friend of your son Felix”, Changbin answered as clam as he could muster and hoped that he hadn’t misjudged the woman’s looks. “Felix...”, the woman trailed off a little, seemingly getting caught in her worries. “I will bring you to him when I got you out from there”, Changbin immediately added and slowly got closer to the trapped woman, hoping she won’t see him as a threat anymore. </p><p>“Than- Watch out!”, the woman suddenly screamed, making Changbin wipe his head around and dodge a kind of sling that was thrown his way just in time. The vampire was met with the face of a man, who was dressed in black and armed from head to toe with weapons Changbin knew belonged in the category “hunters’ weapons” but he also had a red crystal dangling around his neck.</p><p>The young vampire was frozen in place for a short time until he heard Felix’s mother speak up again. “Run. Run away and take Felix with you. They already got my whole clan and mate. They don’t need to get my son too”, she hissed quietly so only Changbin could hear her while she stared the hunter down. The vampire prince didn’t know how to react and stayed frozen in his spot, not leaving the hunter out of his eyes, who was now pointing a crossbow at him. </p><p>“Run!”, Felix’s mother suddenly screamed kickstarting Changbin’s flight mechanisms. The vampire ran away, making use of a supernatural speed he didn’t know he could use. He had heard the arrow being shot into a tree but he didn’t dare to stop and look. He just ran away faster than ever, going back to the place where he left Felix. </p><p>The ginger seemed a little better when Changbin arrived but the vampire couldn’t really tell since he just picked the cat hybrid up and ran further away from the fire and the hunters. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Jisung was still kind of dragging Minho through the snow, far away from the fire and the strange woman. “Damn it”, the warlock cursed to himself. He needed to find Changbin, somehow get Minho to wake up and make sure nothing happened to Felix or the clan of cat hybrids who lived in this territory. </p><p>The warlock readjusted Minho’s unconscious form, since slowly the older was slipping out of his grip again. Jisung turned his head to the other, so he was looking at the older’s face. The cat hybrid seemed totally fine, not even a little bruise could be seen on his face. </p><p>“At least you are safe now”, Jisung mumbled absentmindedly and gently bumped his nose against the other’s head. The warlock wanted to continue walking but a sudden strong wave of magical energy let him halt. </p><p>Jisung heard a portal open close by and instinctively hide behind the nearest tree. He ducked down and did his best to let him and Minho stay out of sight. The warlock silently cursed at himself for never learning something like an invisibility spell, which would have been very useful in situations like this. </p><p>Jisung pressed himself against the trunk of the tree, listening. He could hear multiple people step onto the snowy ground. “This should be far enough away from the fire”, a male voice spoke up. It sounded neutral but concentrated. </p><p>“You could have made a portal directly in the fire for Jaehyun and me”, another male voice answered. It sounded more relaxed, maybe even a bit teasing. “That’s too dangerous and you know that, Ten”, the first voice retorted with a huff.  </p><p>“Why? We are Demi-dragons. Fire is our friend”, the second voice, who had been called Ten, huffed. “Alright, cut it out. We are not here to argue. We need to look at the situation here because it’s more than strange that we got an emergency signal here even though I can’t feel no- Wait”, a third male voice said cutting himself off. </p><p>Jisung’s hitched in his throat but he didn’t know why he became anxious all of the sudden, those men were obviously creatures like him but he was too scared to show himself to them for some reason he didn’t know himself, so he kept himself hidden behind the tree even though maybe it would have been smarter to just make himself visible to them. After all, they were on his side, right? </p><p>“Hey, kid”, the third voice suddenly said but from beside Jisung, which made the warlock jump a little in fright and almost drop Minho. Like a scared kitten did the blue-haired male look into the dark blue eyes of a man with dark red hair. Too afraid to run or fight if needed did Jisung stood there, staring at the man with the dark red hair with wide eyes. </p><p>The dark blue eyes of the man became soft when he noticed how scared the young male in front of him was. “Don’t worry. I am on your side”, the man said and slightly tilted his head to the side, so Jisung could see the Symbol on the right side of his neck. Three bold letters could be seen that Jisung knew well enough to feel relive. </p><p>“NCT”, the young warlock breathed out, making the man before him smile a little. “That’s right. I am Lee Taeyong, a guardian and the leader of NCT”, the man added. </p><p>Somehow Jisung wanted to start crying. The members of NCT surely knew how to handle this situation better than he ever could. They will be able to save the whole clan of cat hybrids from the fire, maybe even bring him to Changbin and take care of the strange human Jisung more or less captured if the restriction spell hadn’t worn off in the meantime. </p><p>“Hey kid. Don’t cry. Everything will be fine now”, Taeyong said in a kind and soft voice after a few tears leaked from Jisung’s eyes without the young male noticing. “We will get you somewhere safe but at first I need you to tell me what happened to you and your friend”, the red-haired male wanted to know still using a kind, calming and soft tone while looking from Jisung to the still unconscious Minho. </p><p>“I could take care of your friend if you want”, another man with jet-black hair and black eyes said, who appeared beside Taeyong. Jisung was hesitated. Something told him to just stay as close as possible to Minho no matter what. He didn’t know why but he wasn’t really planning on going against this kind of gut feeling. Taeyong noticed Jisung’s hesitation and how the young male seemed to not trust the newcomer. </p><p>“Don’t worry. That’s Moon Taeil, a guardian like me but he has extraordinary healing powers and will surely get your friend to wake up”, the red-haired male introduced his group member to the young warlock with an calming, sweet smile on his lips. Jisung looked intensely at Taeil for a short moment. The guardian with the black hair just showed a smile. Jisung told himself that it was fine to trust them before mumbling a small “Okay” which was more to himself than to the two guardians.  </p><p>Carefully Jisung gave Minho’s still unmoving, unconscious form to the guardian with the healing powers. Taeil was really careful when he let the cat hybrid float a little above the ground, so he wasn’t laying in the cold snow. Jisung watched his every move, making Taeyong chuckle a little, which let the young warlock turn his attention to him again. </p><p>“Your friend is actually your soulmate, right? That’s why you are so careful when it comes to him”, the red-haired male said while continuing to have an almost cute, little smile on his face. Jisung didn’t really know how to react to that since he never heard the term “soulmate”. Was it the same thing as a mate or something different? But that was beside the point right now. The bigger question was why Taeyong knew it. </p><p>Taeyong could almost read that question on Jisung’s face. “I can see and feel souls, therefore I can tell who his a soulmate to who”, the red-haired male clarified. “But that’s not what we should focus on for now. Some members of my group including me came here to check on an emergency signal send from one of the houses of the sky clan, who is living not far from here but it was strange to me since I wasn’t able to feel any souls here. Currently five members of my team are investigating this and help the people caught in the fire if needed”, Taeyong continued, slowly becoming more serious. </p><p>“But I still don’t fully understand what’s going on here. This is why I need you to tell me what you know”, Taeyong said, now being fully serious, which made him seem like a completely different person. Jisung nodded, understanding Taeyong’s situation. He tried gathering his thoughts before starting to tell Taeyong everything that had happened to him until now. Of course Jisung couldn’t leave out his dream or better vision, so he didn’t even try. Taeyong was patient and understanding until Jisung began talking about his encounter with the strange, female human. </p><p>“Did that woman wear a necklace or a crystal around her neck?”, Taeyong asked and Jisung didn’t miss the urgency in the man’s voice or the little fearful glimmer, which laid in his dark blue eyes for a short second. Jisung tried to recall this information but there was nothing, he had only focused on the woman’s eyes and after he had used the restriction spell on her the unconscious Minho had his full attention. </p><p>“I don’t know”, Jisung answered, clenching his hands to fists and looking away from the older male. “That’s al-“, Taeyong started but he was interrupted by a rather loud gasp and sound of someone scrambling up to his feet. </p><p>When Jisung looked towards the cause of the noise his eyes met Minho’s piercing green cat eyes, which expressed the stress and anxiety the cat hybrid was currently feeling but those bad emotions resolved into nothing when he actually noticed Jisung’s presence. </p><p>“Ji-“, Minho wasn’t even allowed to say the warlock’s name before he was wrapped up in a very tight hug by the smaller, blue-haired male. Minho hadn’t really realized how fast Jisung was actually able to move until now. Still a little confused and scared did Minho return the hug, burying his face in Jisung’s neck let himself be completely calmed by the scent of his mate. </p><p>The two of them stood there for a while and the two NCT members didn’t even think about interrupting their little moment but Taeyong did sneak away to investigate the strange, female human Jisung had mentioned. </p><p>—————————</p><p>“I see nothing in here”, Jaehyun yelled to Ten from inside the still burning house. The fire was surrounding the male with the light brown hair with the pinkish tint but it did nothing to him. Maybe because of the big, scaly, leathery, black wings coming out of his back or because of his golden, dragon-like eyes. </p><p>“Alright then let’s see if Doyoung, Yuta or Kun found something interesting”, Ten, who was calmly walking around the burning house, yelled back. His dragon wings were golden but the reflections of the flames let it seem more like a golden-orange kind of color. His eyes glimmered beautifully in a deep bronze tone, which seemed as deep and mysterious as they were warm. </p><p>Jaehyun walked out of the burning building like it was nothing. He overstepped a few burning pieces, letting the flames almost avoid him. “Hopefully they did, otherwise we have to go back to Taeyong-hyung empty handed”, Jaehyun said stuffing his scaly hands into the pockets of his jean. </p><p>“Well it is difficult to figure out how a signal was send from a burning house, so they can’t hold that against us”, Ten huffed, spreading his wings, so he could swing himself into the air. </p><p>“I just don’t like disappointing him”, Jaehyun stated and heaved himself up into the air without waiting for an answer on Ten’s side. The older Demi-dragon flew after the younger one with a little smirk on his lips but he said nothing about Jaehyun’s statement. </p><p>Without much difficulty the two found Yuta, their warlock friend with the purple hair who was hovering in the air, performing spells, which caused the fire to die form either the lack of oxygen or a measured amount of water. </p><p>“Hey Yuta. Found something interesting?”, Ten asked gaining the warlock’s attention. “No, nothing. I couldn’t find a single soul. Only the faint trace of magic but that doesn’t say much about what happened”, Yuta answered, still focusing on getting the fire under control. </p><p>“Anything from Doyoung and Kun?”, Jaehyun asked but Yuta only shook his head. “Last time I checked Doyoung couldn’t make out one living creature with his echolocation and Kun wasn’t able to pick up any scents except for the one of a cat hybrid and a vampire. They are currently searching for those two”, Yuta answered with his eyes still focused on his task and not his group members. </p><p>“Alright then we will stick with you”, Ten said, which finally let Yuta turn his head towards them with a look of displeasure on his face. “No you won’t. I am trying to put the fire out not make it worse”, the warlock sassed, obviously referring to the fact that both Jaehyun and Ten could spit fire as demi-dragons. </p><p>“I get you would rather work alone but technically you are not allowed to be on your own. Leader’s order”, Jaehyun huffed, which made Yuta slightly roll his eyes and go back to his previous task. </p><p>“To the gods don’t start a bitch fight now. We will just stay close by on the ground and look around a little more, that should work for everybody involved”, Ten sighed, obviously not having the nerves to deal with Yuta and Jaehyun arguing over something small like this. </p><p>Jaehyun and Yuta agreed to the idea. “I hate it when everybody is so on the edge”, Ten mumbled to himself while Jaehyun and he proceeded to land on the ground, looking around a bit more in hopes of finding some sort of clue.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Lost and found</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin and Felix get rescued by two members of NCT.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin didn’t know when but at some point the adrenaline, which had been running through his veins wore off. He slowly stopped running, being completely out of breath, which caused Felix to look at him even more scared and worried than before. </p>
<p>The vampire prince noticed this and brought out a “I am fine” between heavy breaths. The ginger he still held in his arms like a bride was completely unconvinced. “You are clearly not fine”, Felix shot back and wiggled out of Changbin’s grip, finally standing on his own two legs again after nearly experiencing a smoke poisoning. </p>
<p>Changbin couldn’t say anything to that since he still tried to catch his breath almost desperately. His legs slowly began to feel numb and heavy because the last bits of adrenaline where gone by now, leaving the vampire even weaker. Suddenly his legs broke away under his weigh without warning but Felix noticed it early enough to catch Changbin by wrapping his arms around the black-haired male’s torso when he more or less fell into him. </p>
<p>“What’s wrong, Changbin-hyung? Why did we run away all of the sudden?” Felix asked slowly beginning to panic while anxiety was eating away at him. He understood nothing. Not long ago everything at least seemed fine, he was goofing around with Minho and now he was the gods knew where with no knowledge about the whereabouts of his family. </p>
<p>Unconsciously Felix tightened his grip on his vampire friend, the only one he knew was alive and well at this very moment. “I don’t know what’s going on and I’m scared”, the young cat hybrid admitted with a wobble in his voice while slowly his eyes began to fill themselves with tears. Changbin laid almost limply in the younger boy’s arms, still trying to calm his breathing while searching for the last bit of energy he had in his body. </p>
<p>“Felix...”, the vampire finally got out while still panting a little. Slowly, the vampire prince tried standing on his own again but the he wasn’t planning on getting out of Felix’s grip, no, when he finally stood upright again he sneaked his arms around the other’s waist, hugging him. Changbin was still kind of leaning onto the ginger, so he wouldn’t fall but neither really cared because they needed this kind of comfort at this moment. </p>
<p>Felix tried to stay calm but he was afraid, confused and wanted nothing more than everything to just be a bad dream. He wanted to be woken up by his mother calling Minho and him for breakfast, he wanted to open his eyes and see the familiar walls of his bedroom while still being cuddled up under a fuzzy blanket with his older brother. </p>
<p>“It’s okay. We will be fine”, Changbin said but he wasn’t even sure himself. Goddamn it he still needed to tell Felix what had happened to his mother the entire sky clan and where the hell was Jisung? Did the warlock find Minho? Wait, those humans that captured Minho were probably hunters too! Why hadn’t Changbin notice that sooner? Sure Jisung wasn’t really discreet with the descriptions of his visions but Changbin should have known! He knew about hunters, even though he thought they didn’t exist anymore, that they disappeared because there was nothing to hunt for them when the barrier, which hid the supernatural world was created centuries ago. But he also knew that the man he had faced was one mainly because of the weapons he used. Jisung didn’t know who he was facing. He had no clue about hunters after all!</p>
<p>Changbin didn’t realize how much he was buried under this kind of thoughts until Felix slightly leaned away from him, so they were able to properly look into each other’s eyes. The vampire’s eyes had become red and tears were trailing down his cheeks. Looking into Felix’s teary eyes didn’t make that better, no it only pushed the vampire completely over the edge, making him fully cry. </p>
<p>“I-I am sorry Felix. We, we couldn’t save them. We were too late”, the vampire hiccuped. “Hyung ...”, Felix began to fully cry too, pulling Changbin into himself again, so he could bury his face in the older’s neck. The cat hybrid didn’t fully understand what Changbin meant but it was enough for him to know that something terrible happened to his family and the clan of his parents. Of course did his current state of mind immediately say they were dead but another part of the cat hybrid’s consciousness said that this wasn’t true, that they couldn’t be dead. He also didn’t get why Changbin said “we” but a part of him already knew that it must be Jisung, who came here alongside the vampire. </p>
<p>The two stood there for a while simply crying their eyes out while trying to comfort each other in some way. But the moment was interrupted when Felix’s sensitive cat ears picked up a suspicious noise, which made his instincts overpower his already tiered mind. </p>
<p>Changbin noticed how the ginger calmed down rather quickly, going from loud crying to light sobbing until he became quiet. It slowly made the vampire calm down as well, not because he felt comforted but more because a certain fear or survival instinct began to overpower the sadness and guilt he previously felt. </p>
<p>“Someone’s coming”, Felix said but not without a little crack in his voice. Faster than Changbin expected was he released from the hug and then dragged behind a tree by the cat hybrid. The vampire now saw how the younger’s cat ears were twitching around, trying to pick up any unfamiliar sound in their surroundings. And the vampire prince noticed that Felix eyes had switched from their usual calm brown tone to a clear ice blue. Changbin would have been in awe because of Felix’s beautiful cat eyes if the two had been in a different situation. </p>
<p>“It’s something big”, Felix mumbled, making Changbin look around a little, trying to spot what was coming towards them which was proven to be difficult since they were in a wild forest. The vampire couldn’t see very far because of that, leaving him without a clue. Felix on the other hand slightly opened his mouth, trying to maybe pick up the scent of whatever was coming for them. </p>
<p>Sadly the nonexistent wind maybe this very difficult. The ginger tapped Changbin on the shoulder when he noticed the vampire looking around anxiously and pointed into the direction he heard the heavy footsteps coming from. Changbin focused on the direction he was given, hoping whoever was coming wouldn’t turn out to be their enemy. </p>
<p>Suddenly the two could see something between the leafless trees and bushes of the forest. It looked like a wolf. Was it a wolf? Yes, but he was alone. Wait, no it was a gigantic, shifted werewolf with a person on it’s back! But neither Felix nor Changbin knew how to react to this kind of new information. Especially the vampire had a bad feeling because what if the person, on the werewolf’s back was a magical creature, to be more specific, the magical creature who maybe started the fire in the cat hybrid clan territory, maybe in cooperation with the hunters?</p>
<p>This thoughts alone let Changbin shiver lightly, which caused Felix to automatically pull him into a back hug while not taking his eyes of the nearing werwolf. The black-haired male was a little surprised but he appreciated the gesture which was probably caused by Felix’s instincts. </p>
<p>The werewolf was pretty near now, making it clear to the two teenagers that maybe they should do something. After all the brown werewolf was bigger than they thought, which made them feel a little uneasy because he or she could easily overpower them with their weight and size alone. The person on the werewolf’s back was a rather skinny looking male with violet hair. He could be a warlock but also something else since not even Felix could tell what he was because he wasn’t able to smell him due the strong scent of the werewolf. </p>
<p>“Vampire, cat hybrid, please come out. We want to help you”, the male with the violet hair suddenly yelled, making Felix flinch a little at the sudden volume change of their surroundings. Changbin didn’t get why the younger flinched a little even though the voice of male with the violent hair sounded a little bit different. Did he have abilities which were linked to his voice?</p>
<p>Both Felix and Changbin didn’t know how to react to this. Should they just come out of hiding and show themselves to those two or run as long as they still could? Changbin doubted he would be able to run for long since he still felt a kind of weakness creeping up his legs. </p>
<p>The werewolf slowed down his pace and came to a halt some meters away from Changbin and Felix, leaving them enough space to run if they wanted. Maybe it was on purpose? </p>
<p>“You don’t need to be scared. We are from NCT. We really just want to help you”, the male with the violet hair said still using this kind of special voice but quieter, so Felix didn’t flinch this time. The male with violet hair gracefully slide down the werewolf’s back, looking almost sad when Felix and Changbin still didn’t came out of hiding. </p>
<p>“Give them time, Doyoung”, the werwolf said and even though he was such a giant as wolf, his voice sounded kind and soft. It reminded Changbin a little bit of Sungjin even though he wasn’t such a giant in his wolf form. The vampire turned his head to look at Felix, whose icy blue cat eyes where still focused on the two creatures, which only looked around a little but didn’t really put much effort into searching for them. </p>
<p>“I trust them”, the ginger mumbled lowly and his eyes went back to their normal brown color when they met Changbin’s black orbs with the red tint. The vampire nodded lightly, which caused Felix to let him go and step out of their hiding spot cautiously. The short vampire followed the cat hybrid’s lead. </p>
<p>The werewolf’s head turned towards them pretty quickly. His eyes were a calming bronze and matched his fur which was in all shades of brown. “Thanks for the trust”, the werewolf said and Changbin could tell he was smiling by the warm glimmer in the giant wolf’s eyes. </p>
<p>The two teenagers stood there awkwardly still keeping a certain distance between them and the other two creatures. “You really don’t need to be scared. I’m Kim Doyoung and this giant werewolf here is Qian Kun”, the male with the violet hair introduced himself and the werewolf, now using a completely normal voice. </p>
<p>Changbin felt the last bit of distrust he had held for the two males disappear into thin air when he heard the name Qian Kun. After all as heir to the vampire throne Changbin was supposed to know who the current leading figures in the important groups were, which was why he knew that Qian Kun was the second in command in NCT and a very strong werewolf. </p>
<p>“I am Seo Changbin. This is Lee Felix”, the vampire introduced himself and Felix while feeling a little bit of relieve flooding his system. Doyoung smiled cutely at them. “Nice to meet you two but we shouldn’t stay here too long, so let’s go somewhere safer”, he said and made a gesture which indicated that the two teenagers should climb onto Kun’s back. </p>
<p>Felix and Changbin looked at each other a little bit skeptical before cautiously walking over to the gigantic wolf. “Don’t worry. I won’t bite”, the werewolf joked as he bend down, so the two teenagers could climb onto his back more easily. </p>
<p>With a little hesitation the two teenagers got onto the werwolf’s back. Felix sat behind Changbin and automatically wrapped his arms around the smaller male. Doyoung got onto Kun behind Felix. He looked a lot more graceful while climbing onto the gigantic wolf than the two teenagers and he also looked absolutely comfortable. </p>
<p>“Hold on tight”, Kun said and stood up again, a little bit too fast in the opinion of the two teenagers. Felix let out an audible yelp and tightened his grip on Changbin while the vampire buried his fingers in Kun’s brown fur, which made him worry he would hurt the werewolf. Doyoung only laughed lightly. </p>
<p>“You better prepare yourself for when he starts running”, the male with the violet hair remarked jokingly but the two teenagers really did mentally prepare themselves. Kun started running rather slowly, probably for the sake of Changbin and Felix but at some point he became faster. Doyoung had his fun because the two teenagers in front of him almost seemed concentrated when the werewolf sped up even more, running in the normal pace of a wolf on a hunt. </p>
<p>Changbin felt Felix’s grip on him tighten when the smoke of the fire came into few but it was much less smoke than before which indicated that the fire was either very small now or put out completely. Changbin hoped for the latter. He guessed that this was NCT’s doing. </p>
<p>The memory of Felix’s mother and the hunter came back into the vampire’s mind making him subconsciously bite his lip. He needed to tell the NCT members everything as soon as he was able to as well as ask them if they have also found Jisung and Minho. “For the sake of all gods let Jisung and Minho be alright”, the vampire internally prayed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Black crystal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Taeyong finds the human Jisung described to him and the Lee brothers are reunited.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hidden under an invisibility spell, Taeyong sneaked towards the destination where Jisung said he had used a restriction spell on a female human. The red-haired male was almost certain that this woman was a hunter but he needed to check to be absolutely sure. He reached the place rather quickly and without making much noise. </p><p>The little clearing Jisung had described was empty but Taeyong could feel a faint trace of magic and saw parts of a magical plant laying in one spot, which meant that Jisung had said the truth and the woman must have been here. </p><p>“She broke free from the spell but how”, the guardian thought and looked around, trying to pinpoint the woman’s location with his ability to see and feel souls. He was a little baffled when he could only see Taeil’s soul along with Jisung’s and Minho’s as well as the ones of Ten, Yuta and Jaehyun which were father away but not the one of the woman. </p><p>“Are they able to break spells and hide their souls now?” Taeyong mumbled to himself without realizing it. The hunters were dangerous with their knowledge about all creatures’ weaknesses but they would become unstoppable if they found a way to break all magical spells and hide from even Taeyong’s eyes. </p><p>Suddenly a sharp throwing knife grazed the guardian’s cheek, letting him whirl around like lighting. Taeyong stared into the eyes of a tall woman with black hair and black eyes, an ordinary human you would say if she wouldn’t carry a belt with knives around her hip and a gun draped over her shoulder. Now it was obvious that she was a hunter but Jisung didn’t mention her having any kind of weapon, just an ear piece for communication. The thing she also had was a black crystal, which she wore around her neck. </p><p>The woman wanted to make her next move but to her misfortune Taeyong wasn’t an inexperienced teen warlock like Jisung. Without even muttering a word thick, red straps made of pure magical energy wrapped themselves around the woman’s ankles and wrists, restraining her from any kind of movement which made her curse. </p><p>“Not again”, the woman hissed between gritted teeth and the crystal around her neck began to lightly glow. Taeyong felt a different kind of magical energy come from the black crystal. He wanted to rip it off the woman to prevent whatever the crystal would cause but he was too late. The black crystal seemed to just cancel Taeyong’s restriction spell like it was created by a inexperienced magic student but not only that it also made the guardian visible again. </p><p>The woman was fast this time, she took her gun, a sniper rifle with a special kind of suppressor, off her shoulder, aimed at Taeyong and didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. The guardian barely managed to dodge the bullet but he quickly created a shield around himself to prevent to get hit by the second bullet the woman send his way. The bullet, or better the tranquilizer pin, hit the shield around Taeyong, bouncing off it. </p><p>The guardian noticed how he still couldn’t see or feel the woman’s soul which was scary for him since he never saw something like this before. It was like the woman was a black void. </p><p>“What do you want here?”, Taeyong tried to talk to the female hunter. “Getting my job done”, the woman answered in an ice cold tone, while she reloaded her rifle quickly to point it at red-haired man again. </p><p>“I don’t want to hurt you. None of us do”, Taeyong tried to explain to her, looking into the cold black eyes of the woman, searching for something like empathy but he only found an unexplainable emptiness along with cold hatred. There was no way she would listen to Taeyong in any way. </p><p>“Well, I do want to hurt you”, the woman said and if Taeyong hadn’t noticed the glowing of the black crystal around her neck, then maybe the tranquilizer pin would have hit him this time but he wasn’t stupid. The guardian dashed forward when the pin left the rifle, dodging it and not giving the woman any time to reload. He yanked the gun out of her hands with magic, throwing it far away while he grabbed the black crystal with his right hand, ripping it off her neck. Within the next second the woman was under a strong restriction spell again and Taeyong brought some space between himself and the female hunter for safety measures. The woman cursed loudly but this time nothing happened and she stayed where she was. Finally Taeyong could also see her soul, which was colored in dark grey, which he deemed fitting. </p><p>Taeyong released a breath, opening his right palm to look at the black crystal which seemed to be just an ordinary crystal. The guardian wanted to inspect it further but suddenly he felt a sting in his right palm, directly where the crystal laid. At first he did nothing, not fully understanding what was going on but the second the guardian’s palm began to turn pitch black, was the crystal dropped to the ground and the red-haired male jumped away from it, immediately inspecting his right hand. </p><p>Where the crystal had been laying was now a pitch black spot. The flesh felt fine, so it wasn’t a burn or anything similar but what was it then? “What did just happen?”, Taeyong asked out loud and looked at the female hunter. She just chuckled a little but said nothing to answer the guardian’s question. “I will take you with me for further investigation”, the red-haired male then stated, sounding very serious now. </p><p>“So you take prisoners to torture them now? Not just mindlessly kill them anymore?”, the woman spat, her eyes now burning with this cold hatred Taeyong saw beforehand. “We don’t kill or torture anyone”, the guardian responded in a calm but still serious voice. “Oh yeah, right. You evolved from being blood hungry, satanic beasts to civilized creatures, who wouldn’t hurt a fly”, the female hunter almost growled, making Taeyong question why the woman suddenly talked so much. </p><p>“We would never hurt anybody if it’s not for self defense”, the guardian said, trying to get the woman to talk more. She only laughed a little. “A vampire will always thirst for blood, a kitsune will always want to cause trouble, a siren will never stop luring others into a trap”, she said with a almost wicked smile on her features. “A monster will stay a monster no matter what”, the woman chuckled like she was insane. </p><p>“The legacy of hunters will continue and we will hold together forever, so do you realize that my comrades will come for me? They will hunt you down and everyone you love”, the woman said, looking to Taeyong thinking she had the upper hand. She was mistaken because if you shouldn’t do one thing, then it is threatening Lee Taeyong’s loved ones because he would do anything to keep his group, his family safe. </p><p>The woman noticed her mistake when she saw how the guardian’s eyes changed from serious to just dark. “I want to see them try”, the guardian said in a low, dangerous voice, making the huntress regret opening her mouth while pure fear was written all over her face. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Jisung was afraid that Minho would break down any second but the older just sat beside him, drawing patterns into the back of the warlock’s right hand and occasionally playing with his fingers like a little child. You couldn’t read his mimic and you couldn’t tell what was going on inside his head. It scared Jisung a little but more out of worry than actually fear. </p><p>Taeil had explained everything the seven NCT members knew so far about the fire, that had somehow shallowed the whole sky clan, to Minho. It included the things Jisung had told them and what all of the seven NCT members were currently doing. Of course Taeil had also said that as soon as all the NCT members came back from their investigation he would personally bring both teenagers somewhere safe. Minho had taken this all in with an unreadable expression while he had held onto Jisung’s hand. </p><p>Now the two sat on the trunk of a fallen tree, Minho concentrating on Jisung’s hand while the warlock watched him even though he sometimes glanced to Taeil, who was busy preparing something with magic not even Jisung could fully understand. It seemed like he was setting up a barrier while also preparing a what seemed to be a portal but Jisung wasn’t sure it looked to complex even for him. </p><p>“You are brave, Jisung”, Minho mumbled, getting Jisung’s attention. The warlock turned his head to his boyfriend, noticing how the cat hybrid was still focusing on playing with Jisung’s hand. Jisung couldn’t understand how Minho could think he was brave. He was the opposite if he was honest.</p><p>“I am not brave”, the warlock answered, focusing on the snowy ground in front of his feet and lightly shook his head. “You stood your ground against the woman who probably drugged me with a stupid, little needle. If that’s not brave then I don’t know what”, the older huffed, still focusing on Jisung’s hand, not even attempting to look up. </p><p>The warlock was silent for a while. He didn’t feel even remotely brave but Minho did have a point. Jisung couldn’t explain any of the things he felt and did in the past few hours and honestly he wouldn’t even try. Everything just felt so surreal and himself felt weird. His abilities seemingly didn’t follow any known rules, letting Jisung switch from brave to afraid in spilt seconds. </p><p>“Maybe I am just weird in every aspect of the word”, the warlock absentmindedly mumbled to himself while thinking about it. “Then it’s a good thing”, Minho answered and finally his gaze shifted from Jisung’s hand to the warlock’s face. Jisung looked up top, letting the dark orbs of the cat hybrid met the warlock’s sky blue ones. </p><p>The blue-haired male tried to find out what Minho was really feeling at the moment once more but was still unable to do so even though the eyes were supposed to be the gateway to someone’s subconscious, true intentions and overall their soul. The only thing Jisung could see clearly in the older’s eyes was a strong kind of certainty. Minho meant every single word he had said, not that the warlock had doubted it but it was still a nice little surprise to see that the older didn’t say it for nothing. </p><p>“Thank you, Minho-hyung”, Jisung mumbled, earning a tiny smile from the older. Their eye contact broke when a cold breeze brushed past them, making Jisung squint his eyes and shiver slightly. Minho reacted to this by simply letting go of the warlock’s hand and putting an arm around him to just pull him close. Jisung couldn’t help but lightly smiled and snuggled into Minho like the cute little squirrel the older thought he was. </p><p>——————————</p><p>“Yuta seemingly put out the fire completely. That’s good for us”, Doyoung stated and you could almost hear the smile in his voice. Felix didn’t even dare to look up even though that should be considered as good news. The cat hybrid only buried his face deeper into Changbin’s shoulder. His head was empty and he felt emotionally drained. He still didn’t know much about his current situation and his body seemingly just wanted to shut down but for now this was impossible. They needed to get somewhere safe before Felix could allow his body to just shut down. </p><p>Doyoung continued to happily chat with Kun, making some comments and overall trying to cheer up the traumatized teenagers in front of him. Felix really appreciate the older male’s efforts but the ginger just felt numb, leading to him not even being able to smile lightly. </p><p>Changbin wasn’t really responding to Doyoung’s happy chitchat either but at least he didn’t seem as emotionally dead as Felix. The cat hybrid even found a little bit of a comfort in the vampire since the older made it clear to the cat hybrid that he was right there. </p><p>Occasionally Felix would involuntarily go into his empty mind which wasn’t good for him in any way. Changbin was seemingly able to notice that and would pull the ginger out of it by simply patting his hands, which were on top of the vampire’s stomach. Sometimes Changbin even began to draw invisible patterns on the back of Felix’s hand with his pointer finger but most of the time the vampire’s fingers were buried in Kun’s soft, brown fur. Still Felix found this very calming and internally thanked Changbin more than once.</p><p>Suddenly Felix felt how a rather strong, cold breeze brushed passed his side. It would have been an insignificant event when this breeze hadn’t carried a very familiar scent to the ginger’s good nose. The cat hybrid’s head snapped up in an instant, almost scaring Doyoung. He took a deep breath through his nose with his mouth a little opened so he could make sure it really was the scent he thought he had picked up and it was.</p><p>“Minho-hyung, Jisung!”, the young cat hybrid immediately called for his older brother and Jisung loudly while he looked around searching for the familiar hazelnut brown hair with the cat ears poking out of it or the dark blue mob of hair, which belonged to Jisung. He needed to see if they were okay, if they were hurt. </p><p>“Calm down, Felix”, Doyoung said and put a hand on the ginger’s shoulder, making him snap his head towards him. “We will get to Minho and Jisung soon enough don’t worry”, the male with the violet hair assured the cat hybrid, who looked at him like a distressed kitten. </p><p>Kun ran to a certain spot without hesitation even though you could see no one. Felix soon enough understood why because suddenly they ran through something which caused the ginger to immediately spot his brother standing not far away. It was simple. This little place was surrounded by an little invisible barrier. </p><p>The minute Felix locked eyes with Minho. The older jumped up from his place on the trunk of a fallen tree where he had sat with Jisung right beside him. The both of them looked unharmed.</p><p>Before Kun could completely halt, did Felix already jump down from his back, running straight into the open arms of his older brother. Almost immediately did the ginger bury his nose in the fabric of Minho’s coat which covered the older’s neck, taking in the familiar scent of his family. </p><p>“I am so glad you are okay”, Felix could hear Minho say, sounding so relived even though the younger cat hybrid could tell that his brother was beyond mentally exhausted. “Me too”, Felix responded just closing his eyes and being glad that at least Minho was okay, was still there. </p><p>“Taeil-hyung, let’s get these kids home”, Felix heard Doyoung say and he took this as his cue to slowly let Minho go even though he wasn’t planning on fully letting go of his brother. The two cat hybrids separated from the hug but they had a nonverbal agreement about holding hands like little children. </p><p>Felix saw how the male, Doyoung had referred to as “Taeil-hyung” began to create a sort of portal. The ginger let his gaze wander a bit and noticed that Jisung, who had seemingly stood up like Minho, was currently busy with patting Changbin’s back while the vampire clung onto his front like a limpet but Felix was the last one to judge him for that. </p><p>“Alright boys. Let’s get you to the NCT headquarter. Please mind the loudness”, Doyoung announced jokingly, earning himself a little slap on the shoulder from Taeil. The two men stood by a rather big portal which rotated slowly like any portal would. You couldn’t see through it or hear anything it was just like somebody created a white, little, vertical swirling pool in midair. </p><p>The male with the violet hair gestured for the four teens to come to him. They obeyed, staying close by each other now because they just naturally gravitated to one another at the moment. Felix even noticed how Minho grabbed Jisung’s hand. </p><p>“Just walk through the portal. I will follow suit so don’t worry. Taeil and Kun will stay back though to wait for the rest of our team”, Doyoung explained and then hushed the teens towards the portal. Felix was a little hesitated but he was dragged along because Changbin and Jisung were seemingly a little bit more confident about this whole thing. </p><p>For a short time it was too bright for Felix to let his eyes stay open but that was over as soon as his ears picked up rather loud noises. When the ginger opened his eyes again he was met with a chaos caused by literally everybody in the open space room with bookshelves and couches they just entered. </p><p>“I swear to all gods Donghyuk when you burned my plant spell book because of that stupid potion you tried to make I will skin you alive”, a very angry Jaemin yelled after a running Donghyuk, or as Felix got to know him, Haechan. </p><p>“Nana we talked about the skinning part”, you could hear Renjun say from his place on one of the couches, wrapped up into a back hug by none other than Lee Jeno. They looked awfully comfortable. </p><p>“Trust me skinning Donghyuk wouldn’t be fun. He isn’t a shifter”, YangYang threw into the round, sitting on the ground, leaning onto the couch behind him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”, Jeno asked looking at the wind mage with a raised eyebrow. </p><p>“Well, if you skin a warlock you basically get nothing but when you skin a shifter you get scales, fur or something like that”, a male with the black hair and pointy ears stated, who sat lazily on the couch behind YangYang. </p><p>To say Felix, Changbin, Jisung and Minho were a little bit overwhelmed by the chaos of this place was an understatement but they would lie if they said they didn’t know it well enough. </p><p>“Listen up, children”, Doyoung called using this special voice again. Everything calmed down immediately and the attention was on the male with the violet hair. “Be a little less noisy, alright? We have guests here”, Doyoung said and gestured towards the four teens behind him. “Oh. Hey Minho, hey Changbin”, the, for Felix unknown, male with the black hair greeted. “Hey Hendery”, was the rather weak response from Minho. </p><p>Doyoung beckoned the four of them to follow him shortly after that this little conversation, getting them away from the eyes of the younger members of NCT. He lead them out of the open space room into a corridor with doors on each side. At the end of it was a big window and a staircase with plants lined up on the sides making it look really natural. It was calming in Felix opinion since it was simple but still gave off homey vibe. </p><p>Doyoung opened a door on the right side of the corridor, leading the little group into a room which looked like a living room with big windows, white curtains with blue accents, a TV and two comfortable looking couches but it also had a cozy looking bunk bed made of wood pushed to the left wall. </p><p>“You can stay here until the rest of the investigation group comes back. You can also walk around, just don’t get lost because he have a rather big headquarter. I will come to get you when the rest arrives so we can catch you up on everything we found so far”, Doyoung explained with a sympathetic smile on his lips. </p><p>“Am I allowed to ask where we are exactly?”, Changbin asked cautiously, being the only one of the group of four, who asked questions. “Of course you are allowed to ask. We are at the NCT headquarter in the central of Yellow Wood on the fifth floor”, Doyoung answered with a smile. The vampire thanked the older in a small voice. </p><p>“Just come and get me or one of the other members if you need anything”, Doyoung then said with a reassuring smile before leaving the four of them, closing the door of the room behind him. Like this was his cue Changbin walked to one of the two big windows and looked out of it before fishing his phone out of his jacket’s pocket. </p><p>“What are you doing, Changbin-hyung?”, Jisung asked while he pulled the Lee brothers towards one of the couches. Neither Felix nor Minho protested. </p><p>“I’m letting Changkyun-hyung and Jae-hyung know that you and I are alive and currently at the NCT headquarter so they don’t search the whole country for us”, the vampire prince answered in a rather weak voice before he held the phone to his ear. Jisung hummed as response and made himself comfortable on the couch along with Felix and Minho. </p><p>Felix was laying on top of Minho, who had his head on Jisung’s lap. The three had taken off their jackets and coats along with their shoes beforehand since it was rather warm in this room. Jisung had also draped Minho’s dark blue hoodie over the backrest of the couch. He had been holding onto the piece of cloth for a while without even noticing it until now. Changbin still wore his black leather jacket along with his black boots. Being not very sensitive to temperature had it’s advantages after all. </p><p>It was silent in the room before the vampire prince began to talk into his phone. “Nice to hear you too, hyung... Jisung is fine too, don’t worry. He is currently with me... Yeah I know, I’m in trouble... I’m at the NCT headquarter in the center of Yellow Wood, fifth floor. I got brought here through a portal ... I also know I’m stupid and reckless, thanks for reminding me...”, you could hear Changbin say into the phone and while his voice seemed almost normal at the beginning it became weaker and weaker with every word he said which of course got the attention of his three friends. </p><p>“I know... thanks, hyung and please tell the others we are fine... yeah, bye”, and with that the vampire prince ended the call, looking absolutely exhausted. Felix could feel something tugging at his chest when he saw his friend like that. He got up upon, separating himself from his brother so he could walk up to Changbin and wrap the vampire up in a hug. They were all tired physically and mentally but that didn’t mean they couldn’t help each other. </p><p>Changbin leaned onto the ginger for support but was seemingly unable to fully return the hug and just continued to stare out of the window while he still held his phone in his hand. </p><p>“Let’s just lay on the couch together and rest. Alright?”, Felix suggested and Changbin weakly nodded. Felix released the older from the hug, leading him to the couch while Minho and Jisung rearranged their positions, so Jisung was leaning onto the armrest of the sofa with Minho leaning against his chest. </p><p>Felix got Changbin to take off his boots and jacket before he sat down in front of Minho and pulled the smaller male into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around the vampire once more. Changbin just buried his face into Felix’s chest, tiredly draping his arms around the younger’s torso. </p><p>Nobody of the four wanted to disturb the rather comfortable silence in the room. They were all tired and too much had happened the last few hours for their brains to properly process anything, so it didn’t take them long to just fall asleep. </p><p>It was a pretty deep sleep because even when Doyoung came back to get them because Taeyong and the rest of the investigation group had returned they didn’t wake up and the violet-haired male didn’t have it in him to wake them, so he just draped a blanket over Changbin and Felix and exited the room, telling everyone to be especially quiet now.</p>
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<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Investigations and voices</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin worries about Jisung and Changbin and Mark talks to the huntress Taeyong took captive.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nowadays the Kim brothers spend a lot of time together since they all were locked up in their own home. It brought them to the point where they would naturally just meet in one of their rooms, training together or doing something else or just talk and joke with each other for hours. Today was a little bit different though because while they were gathered in Seungmin’s room Wonpil got a call from Dowoon. At first it was nothing unusual but then the vampire frantically and loudly told the older demon that Changbin and Jisung just ditched town to investigate one of Jisung’s vision all on their own instead of traveling to Transylvania like planed. </p><p>Of course Seungmin being his attentive and curious self had listened to the conversation of his oldest brother and Dowoon, which caused the redhead to almost freak out and now he tried to think of a way to help his two friends or at least keep them from getting hurt. The thing they did was dangerous, especially in a time where the supernaturals were more or less exposed to the human eye.</p><p> “Seungmin please stop pacing. It’s making everyone here nervous”, Byungho spoke up, watching how his younger half brother walked his room up and down like he was possessed. He was obviously worried about Seungmin and the redhead appreciated that but he needed to make sure Changbin and Jisung were safe. </p><p>“Byungho, let him be. He won’t stop. Not until he got an good idea or solution”, Wonpil, who was seated in an armchair near the window commented. Seungmin barely noticed his oldest brother’s comment but he knew that Wonpil was the one, who understood him the best.  </p><p>“Why does he even have to think about an idea or solution?”, Samuel asked innocently from his place on Seungmin’s bed. His eyes followed Seungmin worriedly but he didn’t know how to help his brother, so he had stayed silent. </p><p>“Because Changbin and Jisung probably brought themselves somehow into trouble”, Wonpil answered with a sigh. “Scratch that “probably”. I know they are in trouble, they are just that stupid”, Seungmin retorted, ruffling his red hair harshly. Jisung had a tendency to run into trouble and Changbin was probably following along one of the warlock’s plans. This could just end in a disaster. </p><p>Byungho stood up from his place on the foot of the redhead’s bed, walked over to his still pacing brother and made him halt by standing in his way as well as pulling his hands out of his red hair. Seungmin’s head snapped up to Byungho when the older took his wrists, making him let go of his red hair. </p><p>“Listen Seungmin, they probably know what they are doing. Unlike you, I don’t think they are stupid and reckless. They can take care of themselves. There is no need for you to always protect them”, the brunette said in a calm voice while looking at the redhead. Seungmin avoided the dark eyes of his older brother, not wanting to be calmed down by their warmth. He wanted to find a solution and be there for his friends but he couldn’t. </p><p>“I hate being powerless. I hate being not useful to my friends”, the young redhead mumbled. “Hey there. You can’t be everywhere all the time. Besides, believe in them a little like Byungho”, Woosu commented, getting up from his place behind Samuel to lay his hand on his slightly younger brother. He had a big smile on his face, trying to cheer up the redhead. Seungmin released a breath. Sometimes he truly didn’t know what to do without his brothers. </p><p>“Alright, I will have a little bit of faith in my two idiots”, the redhead said with a sigh. “Since when are they your idiots”, Samuel asked in a teasing way with a smug grin on his face. The siren looked at Seungmin like he had just discovered the other’s biggest secret. Seungmin had to bite back a very sarcastic remark. </p><p>“They are my idiots since I met them. Doesn’t matter if they have a relationship or not”, the redhead defended himself, getting his wrists out of Byungho’s grip, so he could cross his arms over his chest. </p><p>“I never said anything about relationships or anything like that”, the siren mused. Seungmin felt a blush rise up his cheeks. He opened his mouth and wanted to defend himself from the implication of the siren but he couldn’t think of anything. He slowly shut his mouth again letting Byungho, Woosu and Wonpil laugh. </p><p>“S-stop laughing. You all knew he was hinting at that! You would also have answered like me”, the redhead defended himself, pushing himself away from Byungho and Woosu. “B-besides, I would never in a thousand years begin a relationship with Jisung!”, he added looking away from his brothers. “Oh? And what about Changbin?”, Wonpil asked and if Seungmin hadn’t looked like a tomato before he did now. He also didn’t answer for a moment for a reason he didn’t know himself.</p><p>“He didn’t deny it!”, Samuel yelled into the round. “I didn’t answer at all!”, the younger demon yelled back, feeling how his face got even warmer. </p><p>“You still didn’t deny it! You have a crush on Changbin!”, the youngest Kim brother retorted loudly. <br/>“Stop dreaming will you, you little brat”, Seungmin said, walking over to Samuel, who immediately rolled away from the redhead. </p><p>“I will never because it’s obvious”, the siren continued to tease. Seungmin just grabbed the pillow of his bed, throwing it at Samuel. The siren dodged by rolling over once more, almost causing him to drop to the ground. </p><p>“You can’t hide the truth forever”, Samuel said with a wide grin on his face. If Seungmin’s face could get any redder it probably would but the redhead decided he would mask this by throwing another pillow at Samuel and then trying to silence the other. Of course Samuel wouldn’t just let his older brother do that, so he dodged the pillow and ran away from Seungmin. This resulted in a chase between the two youngest Kim brothers while the three older ones couldn’t help but laugh. </p><p>This continued for a while until everyone was breathless either because of being chased, laughing too hard or running after your annoying younger sibling. </p><p>“You totally have a crush on Changbin”, Samuel states breathlessly while laying with his back on the bed. Still, being convinced he was right, making Seungmin roll his eyes in annoyance. </p><p>“I don’t do crushes”, Seungmin panted. “Well I will see if you have a crush on him as soon as I see him near you”, the young siren said, having a little grin on his face. He was referring to his siren ability, which Seungmin knew about ever since reading some stuff about sirens after Samuel’s arrival. </p><p>“Oh, shut it, you stupid siren”, the redhead huffed. Internally he hoped dearly Samuel wouldn’t to be able to see anything regarding this topic. He just knew that Samuel wouldn’t shut up about it in any way. </p><p>“Be nice to each other”, Byungho said with a almost teasing smile on his face. “Yes, mum”, Seungmin said with irony in his voice. Byungho was the unofficial mum of their shared friend group, Seungmin realized after calling the older “mum” ironically. </p><p>“Goodness, some day we will day because of laughing”, Woosu joked but everyone more or less agreed to that statement. They did have a lot of fun teasing and joking with each other. </p><p>The light atmosphere stayed in the room until Wonpil’s phone rang, again. The oldest Kim brother looked at the little device while the eyes of his four brothers where focused on him. “It’s Sungjin-hyung”, Wonpil said and took the call, putting it on speaker because he already knew his brothers would be listening to every word anyway. </p><p>“Wonpil, I know you aren’t allowed to leave your house put I need your help”, Sungjin immediately said. “Why and with what?”, the demon asked, glancing at his brothers to see their reactions. “Dowoon told you about Changbin and Jisung?”, the werewolf wanted to clarify. This of course made Seungmin sit up and shuffle a little closer to his older, demonic brother. </p><p>“Yes, he did”, Wonpil confirmed, frowning a little. Seungmin on the other hand felt anxiety fill his chest despite his head telling him that Sungjin would sadder and more worried if something had happened to Changbin and Jisung. Especially Changbin, who the werewolf saw as a sort of little brother. </p><p>“To make this short: Jisung had a terrible vision and it turned out to be true and the two got wrapped up in a pretty difficult situation but they are now safe at the NCT headquarter but the thing is that thanks to those two NCT was able to catch a human, to be more specific someone they call hunter”, Sungjin explained, which caused all the Kim brother to react very differently. </p><p>Samuel was confused since he had no clue what a hunter was, Byungho had a mild idea of it, Woosu gasped loudly since he was taught what a hunter was by his mother Athea and Seungmin just looked shocked like Wonpil because they too knew what a hunter could cause from reading about them in the books of the mansion’s library when they were little. </p><p>“Are you sure?”, Wonpil carefully asked. “Of course he is sure!”, another voice could be heard over the phone and it was obviously Jae. “We need you Wonpil. This hunter won’t give out important information but we know you can make her spill out every little thing she knows”, that was obviously Dowoon, who said that. “Get your brother to help you escape prison for a couple of hours. We really do need you here with us!”, you could also hear Younghyun say. Seungmin didn’t need to hear more. He could help his friends when he figure this hunter out.</p><p>“Already on it. He will met you at the NCT headquarter in half an hour”, Seungmin said into the phone, reaching past Wonpil and ending the call while receiving questioning looks from his brothers. </p><p>“What? I got tons of ways to leave the mansion unnoticed”, the redhead announced, shrugging slightly. He had thought about it a lot because of Wonpil’s tower curse, which had been lifted not so long ago. </p><p>“Seungmin you are slowly becoming my favorite brother”, Woosu said with a goofy grin, directed at the young redhead. “You are so mean, hyung”, Samuel whined and clung onto the arm of the warlock with the white hair. “Yeah yeah. I know”, Woosu answered, patting his youngest brother’s head. If Seungmin was honest Woosu and Samuel had developed an adorable sibling relationship ever since Samuel and Rana had joined the Kim family but he needed to get a plan in motion. </p><p>“Stop having an adorable sibling relationship. We need to get work done. My most efficient way of getting out of the mansion includes all of our powers, so chop chop”, Seungmin said, starting to get his brothers to do what was necessary to get Wonpil to the center of Yellow Wood, unnoticed by even the devil himself. </p><p>—————————</p><p>“So, you will not talk? You will just continue to sit here, refusing to make things easier for the both of us?”, a rather young male with black hair and black eyes said, staring at the woman in front of him, who was strapped to a chair with an empty expression on her face. </p><p>The two were separated by a table, nothing more. The room was empty besides two chairs and a table. There was no visible window and the only light came from the lamp directly above the table. Even someone who never saw a thriller, would call this an investigation room. </p><p>“I know you want to talk. After all you did it before you were brought here”, the young male said using an more alluring voice. It sounded like a melody, sung in a special way, which made you almost vulnerable but the woman frantically shook her head, refusing to give into the temptation of telling the pretty young man in front of her everything she knew. </p><p>“I won’t talk to a men-eating siren!”, the woman yelled with her eyes closed. The young male stayed calm even though you could see a certain irritation cross his beautiful facial features. “You just did”, he answered in a steady tone, making the woman close her mouth in an instant. </p><p>“Listen. We don’t want to hurt you, your family or your friends we just want to protect our people, to avoid a war and thousands of deaths and not repeat history. You can help us with that”, the young man tried to reason with the woman still using this alluring, calm voice that seemed to wrap you up in a warm blanket. </p><p>“I will never help a creature, who was born to lure women and men to the bottom of the sea”, the woman hissed. “Those days ended shortly after the ancient war started, miss. No creature kills humans for food nowadays”, the male still tried to stay calm, keep his voice steady and his posture upright. He didn’t want to get angry, seem vulnerable or snap at the woman. It wouldn’t benefit him. </p><p>“Yeah, sure. That’s why there are still reports of boats crashing into cliffs without reason, people drowning because they tried to follow a beautiful voice they heard and children found brutally slaughtered at a beach!”, the woman snapped. Her eyes staring the male in front of her down.</p><p>“That is not the doing of a group of sirens or any supernatural creature living in the sea”, the siren with the black hair said, gritting his teeth, not using his alluring voice anymore, instead there was a sharp undertone but it was still too quiet to be noticed by the female hunter.</p><p>“Then who does things like that?!” the woman yelled at the black-haired male. The young siren couldn’t take it anymore. He clenched his hands into fists trying to not let certain memories get the better of him but in the end his anger got the upper hand. </p><p>“Humans like you! They slaughtered thousands of creatures just because they were different! Your kind even kills their own for the stupidest reasons!”, the siren snapped, slamming his hands onto the table while standing up. The chair, the male had been sitting on clattered to the ground. </p><p>“Humans never know when to stop. They carelessly destroy every living being around them with their killing for no reason! They slaughter families, packs, groups, whole organizations, courts and even villages! We are not the monsters, you are!”, the young male screamed, his voice having a sharp tone which somehow even hurt the woman’s ears to a certain extent. </p><p>The door of the room flung open, revealing Taeyong and a tall male with dark hair. Taeyong was pretty fast with grabbing the siren’s arm and dragging him out of the investigation room while the tall male with the dark hair closed and locked the door behind them. </p><p>Taeyong didn’t let go of the young siren after they were in the corridor, no he let his grip on the other’s arm loosen, looking at the younger male with sympathy. “I’m sorry, Mark. I shouldn’t have let you do this”, the guardian apologized. “No”, Mark objected and freed himself from Taeyong’s hold, taking two steps away from the two older males, showing them his back. The two older males shared a worried glance before focusing back onto the siren. </p><p>“Mark, you don’t need to act tough in front of us. We know that you are the most sensitive to this kind of topic because of what happened to your parents”, the tallest out of the three said, looking at the siren with concern shimmering in his dark brown eyes. Mark didn’t answer, he just crossed his arms over his chest trying to stay composed with lightly trembling shoulders. </p><p>The tall male wanted to say something again but Taeyong just laid a hand on his arm, getting his attention. “Don’t try to force him, Johnny. Just get Donghyuk and Taeil”, the guardian said in a soft, calm voice. Johnny let out a sigh but then nodded and turned around to walk to the staircase to get Donghyuk and Taeil. </p><p>Taeyong’s attention directed itself back onto Mark, who stood not far from him lightly trembling. Like it was a natural thing to do, the guardian walked up to his younger group member and hugged him from behind. </p><p>“Don’t worry, Mark. We will get her to talk and then we can safe the creatures, who are in danger. We won’t let history repeat itself. May it be a war from centuries ago or a terrible massacre twelves years ago”, the guardian reassured the young siren. Mark began to quietly sob while his trembling got worse but he still tried to keep himself together.  </p><p>“It’s okay”, Taeyong mumbled and that was the point where Mark broke down completely. The siren turned around almost automatically and buried his face in his hyung’s neck while tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. The guardian just held the younger until he heard hurried footsteps coming closer from behind him. </p><p>“Mark”, you could already heard Donghyuk’s worried voice call for the siren. The warlock with the purple hair appeared right beside Taeyong not long after that, accompanied by Taeil and Johnny. </p><p>After seeing the siren’s state, Taeil glared at the door of the investigation room, probably plotting murder, which was unlike him but in the end his attention purely laid on the crying Mark, who was still held by Taeyong while Donghyuck patted his back, looking beyond worried. Usually Donghyuck was very giddy, smiley and almost annoyingly clingy but right now the empathy in the warlock’s eyes almost reflected Mark’s pain. </p><p>Taeil carefully walked up his leader and the two younger males and put his right hand onto the top of Mark’s head, letting his hand glow in a calming shade of light blue while using his healing powers. The siren slowly calmed down, his sobbing got less and his tears stopped flowing. When Taeil took his hand off the younger male’s head he was fast asleep, slumping against Taeyong. The red-haired male had been prepared for this and steadily held the siren up right. </p><p>“I will bring him to his room and stay with him”, Taeil said to his leader, not looking at him since his gaze was still focused on Mark. Taeyong nodded and slowly let Taeil take the now sleeping siren. Even though Taeil was smaller than Mark, the guardian still managed to carry the siren with a certain ease. Donghyuck followed the two like a lost puppy while Johnny and Taeyong stayed back. </p><p>“Any ideas on how to get this woman to talk?”, Taeyong asked with a sigh, looking up to Johnny. “Only one and let’s just say it’s not a very good one”, the taller answered. “We don’t have much of a choice, do we?”, the red-haired male stated, letting his gaze focus on the door of the interrogation room.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Interrogation from hell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wonpil and Seungmin arrive at the NCT headquarter and get to interrogate the huntress.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Why did you come along again?”, Wonpil asked, looking at his younger brother when they stood in front of the entrance of the NCT headquarter. Seungmin had tagged along with the older without asking or even announcing he was coming along.  </p><p>“Because I’m your ticket back into the mansion without being seen”, Seungmin answered with a grin on his lips. Wonpil slightly rolled his eyes at that, knowing full well that Seungmin came along because of his two friends and to get some answers. </p><p>“Poor Byungho and Woosu, who have to do all the work”, the older huffed and began walking again, entering the building before them. “Hey!”, Seungmin complaint, running after his brother, matching his pace when they walked into the lobby of the headquarter. “My plan has a part for everyone, alright? Everyone had to use their ability including yours and mine”, the younger redhead added. Seungmin was always the one making plans for things and he was really good at if you were honest. </p><p>“Yeah, yeah, I know”, Wonpil snorted, tousling Seungmin’s red hair, which got a cute squeak out of the younger. The older chuckled while Seungmin jumped back a little and tried to fix his hair. </p><p>The lobby of the NCT headquarter hadn’t much to offer except for a reception with nobody seated behind the counter along with some plants and four elevator doors, two on the left side and two on the right of the room. Each door had something written above: 127, U, Dream and WayV. Wonpil looked around in the gigantic but empty lobby, his eyes falling onto the four signs above the elevator doors with 127, U, Dream and WayV written on them. He eyed the names with a little bit of confusion reflecting in his features, since he had no clue what the names were referring to or meant. </p><p>“Do we even know where to go now?”, Seungmin asked, more or less having fixed his hair. Wonpil shook his head as an answer. “You hung up before Sungjin-hyung could say anything about this place”, the older added, without an accusation in his voice while continuing to muster the four names written above the elevator doors. Seungmin followed his gaze, ultimately noticing what the older was looking at. </p><p>“127, U, Dream, WayV ... is this a riddle or something?”, the younger redhead asked out loud. “Nope, those are the Subunits of NCT even though they aren’t really used anymore”, a familiar voice answered Seungmin, letting the heads of the two brothers turn towards it’s source. </p><p>In front of a door at the back of the lobby, the demon brothers swore hasn’t been there before, stood Jae along with Sungjin, Younghyun and Dowoon. </p><p>“Guys!”, Wonpil exclaimed excitingly, running directly into the arms of his four friends but Seungmin would argue that it were three friends and a boyfriend. Seungmin skipped over to the group of friends but not joining the little group hug. He felt happy seeing his older brother’s excitement and bliss.  </p><p>“I missed seeing the five of you all together”, Seungmin said with a soft grin on his face, gaining the attention of the five older males. They looked at each other before smiling brightly. Seungmin was right after all, it felt good to be together as a group again. </p><p>“Let’s get going. Johnny and Taeyong are probably waiting”, Sungjin stated, slowly dissolving the group hug of his friends, so they could go through the door behind them. Nobody really protested even though Dowoon sneakily took Wonpil’s hand, intertwining his fingers with the one’s of the older redhead. Seungmin of course noticed, making him smile a bit to himself but he said nothing and followed Sungjin, who was leading the way. </p><p>The young redhead already knew who Taeyong and Johnny were, since almost everyone knew the name of NCT’s leader and Johnny wasn’t only an important member of NCT but also Miroh High’s English teacher. Therefore Seungmin usually called Johnny, Mr. Suh and not by his nickname but he was aware of it. </p><p>Seungmin felt the magic that surrounded the headquarter’s walls as soon as they stepped through the door. It was mesmerizing how seemingly every stone the building was made of had a bit of magic in it. The young demon was surprised that he hadn’t noticed that sooner but he said to himself that it was properly made on purpose, so you could only feel the magic of the place after stepping through the door. The door closed itself after everyone had gone through it strengthening Seungmin’s suspicious of it being magical. </p><p>Like a curious little puppy, did Seungmin follow Sungjin taking in every last bit of the corridor they were walking down along with the staircase they then walked up. The young redhead couldn’t help but noticed how every last bit of the staircase had a special kind of magic in it. Seungmin couldn’t explain it properly but it felt like a protection charm was put on it but with a lot of other smaller and lingering spells attached to it, making it extremely complex.</p><p>“I have to meet the genius who put all the spells on this building”, Seungmin mumbled to himself, earning a lot of chuckles from the five older males but he didn’t care in the slightest. This place was just too special and genius in his opinion. </p><p>Surprisingly the walk up the stairs didn’t take longer than a heartbeat, which impressed Seungmin even more. Whoever the magical creature was that was able to do this had the young demon’s unshakable and absolute respect. </p><p>Seungmin almost didn’t noticed that they actually didn’t go upstairs but rather downstairs. At least if you believed the sign which came into sight that had “Basement” written on. In the long corridor with the many doors on each side stood two males. One Seungmin already knew as Mr. Suh or Johnny and the other was obviously Lee Taeyong, judging by the scarlet hair and piercing dark blue eyes. Johnny’s gaze landed pretty quickly on Seungmin while Taeyong just smiled and greeted all of them. </p><p>“This time we brought our missing group member along”, Sungjin said, gesturing towards Wonpil. “I see but may I ask why Kim Seungmin came along too?”, Johnny asked rather formal, looking at the young redhead before his gaze flicked over to Sungjin, seemingly wanting an answer from the werewolf but Seungmin wasn’t having that. He could talk for himself.</p><p>“I came to help my older brother Wonpil and to see if my friends, who are currently in this building, are fine”, Seungmin answered for himself with a steady, calm voice, sounding absolutely sure of every word he said. “Good to know”, Johnny responded and he was seemingly a little impressed or at least positively surprised as far as Seungmin could tell while Taeyong was convinced that Seungmin was part of the promised help. </p><p>“Alright. I will bring you two to the huntress but be careful and leave the room immediately when something seems off or she succeeds in slowly provoking you in any way”, Taeyong explained, looking at the two redheads. Both brothers nodded and then followed the guardian to the room, which was currently occupied by said huntress. Johnny and the rest of the Day6 members of course followed them. </p><p>“Let me show you the things we know until now, so you can properly question her”, Taeyong said when he stopped in front of the interrogation room. The two Kim brothers glanced at each other before focusing their attention back onto Taeyong, giving the guardian a silent permission to continue whatever he thought of doing, which also resulted in Dowoon letting go Wonpil’s hand. </p><p>The red-haired leader of NCT just laid his right hand on top of Wonpil’s head while the other one rested on top of Seungmin’s head. At first Seungmin wanted to question why this was necessary but next thing he knew a lot of images appeared in front of his inner eye, showing him a big fire in a forest, other members of NCT, Jisung and Minho while also a lot of information seemed to just flood his brain. </p><p>When Taeyong took his hands off the Kim brothers heads they knew basically everything there was to know about hunters, the fire which destroyed a good proportion of the sky clan territory of the now vanished cat hybrids. </p><p>Seungmin needed a moment to process this information and link them with the things he knew. So the terrible vision Jisung had, which came true was probably the fire at the sky clan territory, where Minho and Felix had been with their family. He had been right when he thought Jisung and Changbin would do something stupid but in the end they may be the reason Felix and Minho were safe and not where his parents were. </p><p>The young redhead noticed Taeyong’s gaze on him and quickly covered his growing worry for his friends with the excitement of having the opportunity to witness a difficult spell performed by a guardian. </p><p>“This is probably the highest class of magic I ever got to see”, Seungmin mumbled in pretended amazement. Taeyong seemingly didn’t see through it by the way his lips curved upwards. “I am a guardian. I am supposed to have mastered even the most difficult spells”, Taeyong answered with a sweet smile on his lips. Seungmin just let himself seem excited and hoped Wonpil wouldn’t notice him covering something. </p><p>“So, we just need to get in there and question the huntress to get some useful information out of her?”, Wonpil asked, taking Taeyong’s attention away from Seungmin and to him instead. Internally Seungmin thanked his older brother for that. </p><p>“Without harming her, yes”, Taeyong answered with a neutral tone even though Seungmin could see a little bit of irritation in the guardian’s mimic. </p><p>“Will someone see or hear what’s said or done inside this room?”, Wonpil asked cautiously even though the question was kind of strange and suspicious but neither Taeyong nor Johnny seemed to mind. Seungmin found their trust kind of admirable but knowing they was surely a reason behind it let him question it regardless.</p><p>“Sungjin already informed us about your special conditions, so whatever is said or done in this interrogation room won’t be seen or heard by us. We trust you, the both of you”, the guardian said, now sounding rather serious while looking at the two Kim brothers. For a short moment the young redhead’s eyes flickered to Sungjin, thinking the other had told Taeyong and Johnny about Wonpil and him being demons. The werewolf noticed the little gesture and shook his head barely noticeable, letting the tension in Seungmin’s body ease up. The werewolf wasn’t the person for telling somebody else’s secret. </p><p>“Alright. We won’t disappoint you”, Wonpil said, mimicking Taeyong’s tone slightly. The guardian nodded, wishing the two Kim brothers good luck before opening the door of the investigation room with a special hand gesture. He held the door open for the two brothers, who quietly slipped into the room, not daring to speak before the door felt shut behind them. </p><p>Seungmin’s eyes fell pretty quickly onto the woman, who was strapped to a chair, which stood behind a rather large table and glared at not only him but also Wonpil. Both brothers would have glared back but that was not their strategy for now. </p><p>“Are they sending two warlocks now? Pathetic”, the woman hissed with a in venom drenched voice. It made you question a little who the demon in the room really was. The two brothers only looked at each other, ignoring the woman in front of them. </p><p>“Let the games begin, hyung” Seungmin said in his demon voice, so only Wonpil could hear him while he pushed his worries for his friends into the back of his mind. He needed to focus on the task at hand now. </p><p>“I guess this means we will let our parents genes come to good use today”, Wonpil mused, stretching a bit while a light smile adored his lips. “True. We are allowed to play after all”, Seungmin added, letting himself smirk a bit. </p><p>For once the two demon brothers had no fear of showing someone who they really were, after all they only hide being demons because they didn’t want people to be scared of them. Now they had the opportunity to purposely scare someone, to play with someone like a wicked demon would do it. </p><p>The huntress only continued to glare at the brothers when Wonpil picked up the second chair from the floor, seating himself in front of the huntress with only the table separating them, while Seungmin confidently hopped onto the table, swinging his feet back and forth in the air like small child while he kept watching the woman’s every move from the corner of his eyes. </p><p>“I’m not afraid of two useless warlocks like you”, the woman spat, only making the two demons smirk wider. “You will be afraid soon enough”, Seungmin singsonged, now concentrating on his swinging feet. “And just for clarification, we are no warlocks”, Wonpil added, letting his head rest on top of his palm while holding eye contact with the woman. “Oh, if you two are no warlocks then what are you? You are no stupid elves or fox spirits”, the huntress almost growled like a werewolf.</p><p>Seungmin let out an amused chuckle and looked back to the woman. “Guess”, he simply said with a smirk still present on his lips but slowly this smirk dropped. Now he began to officially play with her. </p><p>“Guess and make your last wish because the devil comes rarely out to play”, the young redhead repeated with a much lower, warped and dangerous voice, which easily could send a shiver down your spine. </p><p>A flash of fear could be seen in the huntress’ eyes when she let her gaze wander from Seungmin to Wonpil, whose expression had turned as cold as ice. This caused the fear in the woman’s eyes to be more prominent than before even if she tried to hide it. </p><p>“What are you?”, the woman hushed almost fearfully. “You need to guess, human”, Wonpil said, his voice matching his icy facial expression. It would have let the flight instinct of every animal kick in. The huntress seemed to have only one suggestion in mind, judging how she slowly began to tremble. </p><p>“Class ten creatures, Demons ...”, she hushed like the word was forbidden. “Demons...”, she repeated maybe to make herself realize it properly. “Well done, human”, Seungmin congratulated her, smirking almost evilly while clapping slowly for the woman. He almost took a liking in seeing her afraid, considering what she had done to Minho. </p><p>“Now that you have realized what we are, care to answer our questions?”, Wonpil asked, still using a very cold tone. “But hyung. I wanted to use my hell flames on her, so she would answer our questions while screaming in pain”, Seungmin whined and bluffed like a master, looking at his older brother. Wonpil lightly shook his head. </p><p>“It’s unnecessary, now is it?”, the older demon almost asked, looking at the woman. The huntress still seemed scared but suddenly the fear disappeared from her eyes. “You are bluffing”, she said glaring at the brothers again but neither of them fell out of their little role. Seungmin faked anger while using a bit of the one he really felt and hopped down from the table, letting the woman not see his face while his feet made hard contact with the ground, letting it sound threatening. </p><p>The young demon purposely let his naturally dark and demonic aura run loose while he also made his horns and devil’s tail visible. His head snapped towards the woman, making her flinch in her chair. The fear was written all over her face, her lips trembled like she wanted to say something but was now too afraid to do so. </p><p>Wonpil picked on his younger brother’s slightly different strategy, looking at him while faking worry. The kind of worry, where you hoped that your younger brother wouldn’t tear tear someone apart. “Minnie, calm down. We don’t want her dead. Yet”, the older demon made a little pause before saying yet while making eye contact with the woman. </p><p>“I-I can’t tell you much, I am only a mere soldier, nothing special. I-I was just part of the unit that attacked and imprisoned the cat hybrids. It was only an oder given to me”, the huntress began to blur out, while her eyes fearfully looked back and forth between the two demons. </p><p>“You made a whole cat hybrid clan disappear. That shouldn’t be a human’s ability”, Seungmin growled like the demon he was, making the woman flinch once more. “I-It was the doing of our ally, a female warlock who goes by the name Zendala. She used a bunch of spells, seemingly good ones. She teleported us into the forest undetected, while also letting everything start to burn without the flames hurting us. It was also her, who let the majority of cat hybrids disappear with just the snap of her fingers”, the woman answered with a stutter, while her wide eyes continued to flicker between the two brothers. </p><p>“Did she also gift you with the black crystal you wore?”, Wonpil questioned, referring to the crystal, which had hurt Taeyong’s hand when he ripped it off her. </p><p>“N-no. The crystal is a heirloom, passed down within the families of hunters for generations. Its said to make you invisible to supernatural creatures”, the huntress responded. Wonpil looked at the woman like he wanted more information, making the woman even more afraid. </p><p>“It seemingly also can’t be touched by supernatural beings since this red-haired man hurt himself while having the crystal on his palm”, the woman added, fearfully looking to Seungmin who still looked very pissed off in her eyes while in reality the young demon only observed her, trying to figure out if she told the truth or lied straight into the faces of his brother and him. He found nothing in her eyes except for horror and fear, it made him almost miss her cold glare. </p><p>“Any names you can give us that are useful?”, Seungmin barked at her and once more succeeding in inflicting more fear into the woman, who now frantically shook her head. “E-Every hunter uses a Codename and not their real name while hunting”, the huntress stuttered, making Seungmin let out an annoyed huff. </p><p>“Your name would help too”, Wonpil stated, his gaze piercing through the woman. “M-My huntress name is Emily, my real one Park Minah”, the huntress answered quietly but still audible. </p><p>“Alright, Emily. Where did your hunter friends go with the whole clan of cat hybrids?”, Seungmin asked with an angry voice but he underlined his faked anger by slamming a hand onto the table, making the huntress jump a little in her chair. </p><p>“I-I don’t know where Zendala brought everybody after retreating. I-I got captured by this young, blue-haired warlock we were ordered not to harm and had to wait until he was gone so I could get my weapons but after I got them I was captured again by this red-haired male, so I couldn’t go to the meeting place”, the huntress answered. </p><p>The part with the blue-haired warlock got the Kim brothers’ attention because thanks to Taeyong they knew Jisung was the one to capture Emily the first time. “Why aren’t you allowed to harm the blue-haired warlock?”, Seungmin questioned his faked anger slowly resolving into a very real irritation and urgency, which made the young demon’s aura even stronger, causing the huntress’s extreme fear to slowly become panic. </p><p>“It was Zendala’s order! I don’t know why she wanted this boy completely unharmed!” the woman screamed in horror. She tried to hide away from Seungmin by closing her eyes, whimpering to spare her life.</p><p>“Seungmin get your aura under control, now!”, the young redhead heard his brother’s demon voice say. Immediately Seungmin pressed his eyes close and focused on his aura that was chugging down the woman’s fear like delicious food. He turned it down, made it stop and submit to his will, so it disappeared again along with his horns and devil’s tail. </p><p>When he opened his eyes again the woman’s head was hanging low. She wasn’t passed out just too afraid and exhausted to look at the demon brothers again. </p><p>“I think that’s all. Thank you, Emily”, Wonpil said sweetly, switching from cold to normal in the blink of an eye. The huntress didn’t respond, so the two brother’s just quietly filtered out of the interrogation room, facing the others again. </p><p>They immediately had the full attention of the six males when they closed the door behind them. “Did you crack her?”, Jae asked from his sitting position on the ground. Both demon brothers nodded as an answer. “We got some important information to share”, Wonpil stated.</p>
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<a name="section0043"><h2>43. This feels like the end of the world</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin is reunited with Minho, Jisung, Felix and Changbin and Taeyong wants to explain to them what they know until now.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Slowly Jisung was pulled out of his deep slumber, not because someone was noisy or because he was uncomfortable, no, his inner clock just decided to slowly wake him. Everything around the young warlock still seemed a little distant to him but the first thing he felt was the comforting weight on his chest. The weight didn’t bother Jisung at all, it kind of grounded him and made the young male feel safe and protected. It was a nice feeling. </p><p>The next thing Jisung noticed in his half asleep state was the warmth and the little movement under his arms as well as the feeling of someone’s soft hair on his throat. This impressions were soon followed by a familiar scent. Even though Jisung was a warlock and no creature with a very good nose he was still sensitive to certain scents, like the one that currently lingered in his nose. It was a fresh, vivid kind of scent and made Jisung automatically feel at home. </p><p>Slowly the young warlock peeled his eyes open to take in his surroundings. He was met with an unfamiliar room but very familiar people. Jisung couldn’t stop the little smile that made itself onto his lips when he noticed the hazelnut brown hair and cat ears more or less in front of his face. </p><p>It was a little bit of a surprise for the young male, that he was still laying in the same position he remembered falling asleep in. His arms were still securely wrapped around Minho’s shoulders and he could literally feel the older’s chest rise and fall calmly, meaning he was still asleep. Even though Jisung couldn’t see the older’s face he though the cat hybrid was adorable.</p><p>Jisung couldn’t help but place a short kiss on Minho’s hair when he tried to get a better look at Felix and Changbin by stretching his neck a bit. The cat hybrid with the orange hair also seemed to be in a deep slumber with his arms wrapped around the vampire, who laid on top of him. Jisung noticed the fluffy blanket that was wrapped around Felix and Changbin, making him question if someone had come in here to tuck it around the two. </p><p>“Stop moving so much”, the young warlock heard Minho mumble sleepily. Normally Jisung would have been startled but right now he suppressed the urge to coo at the older fro being cute. It quickly morphed into internally dying because of the cat hybrid’s cuteness since the older’s semi-somnolent state made him nuzzled his head further into the young warlock’s chest. </p><p>“Sorry for waking you”, the warlock mumbled trying his best to let his voice not crack or get too high. Minho only hummed as a response and Jisung prayed to all known gods that the older didn’t notice his quick heartbeat because he knew he would get teased for it. </p><p>The older cat hybrid seemingly didn’t notice since Jisung felt how his breath got even and calm again. He couldn’t help but free one hand, so he could play with Minho’s hazelnut brown hair. The strains were so soft Jisung ended up casually running his hand through the older’s hair, occasionally brushing past the other’s cat ears. </p><p>Jisung didn’t really register that Minho started to purr until he clearly felt the light vibration of the other’s torso but that didn’t stop the fond smile on his lips to get bigger. </p><p>The situation stayed in his current position for a while, not wanting to wake the others. Minho, Felix and Changbin continue to sleep while Jisung internally gushed over his cute boyfriend. Sadly the four couldn’t stay in this safe bubble forever and that became very clear when the door of the room was opened by none other than Kim Seungmin who panted lightly like he had ran here. </p><p>“Seungmin?”, Jisung said in both surprise and confusion when he saw his best friend in the doorway. How did Seungmin get here? </p><p>Maybe Jisung was also a little too loud because Minho stirred at the sudden noise and so did Felix. “Han Jisung you are the biggest idiot I came across in my seventeen years of living”, the redhead exclaimed, fully entering the room to walk over to his four friends on the couch, so he could flick the forehead of the still clueless warlock. The redhead obviously didn’t care about the others sleeping. </p><p>“Ouch! Seungmin, what was that for?”, Jisung complained while rubbing his forehead. He looked up to the redhead, who now stood beside him with an unreadable expression. The other seemingly didn’t plan on answering his question. </p><p>Jisung wanted to open his mouth again to ask the redhead what was going on but then his attention was shifted back to Minho when he felt how the weight on his chest disappeared since the older had decided to sit up. </p><p>“What’s going on now?”, Felix mumbled tiredly while he was still leaning onto his older brother. “Will be explained when the four of you got up”, the redhead said and suddenly the usual bite he had in his voice was gone, making especially Jisung worried since he noticed the difference in an instant. What was going on with the redhead? What had happened? </p><p>“By all gods, Seungmin you are too fast for me”, you could suddenly hear Doyoung say. The male with the violet hair had just entered the room also panting a little. “I’m sorry I had to get here fast after I told Taeyong everything we got out of that huntress”, the redhead answered in a rather monotone voice. Jisung blinked at the redhead. What was Seungmin talking about? </p><p>“Can somebody fill us in on what happened?”, Jisung asked, while he felt a certain fear crawling at the inside of his rib cage. Had they missed something imports while they were asleep? How much time had even passed? </p><p>Minho seemed to have noticed that JIsung was nervous since the cat hybrid just let himself fall backwards again grounding Jisung both physically and mentally. The warlock would never be able to thank Minho enough for little actions like that, which helped him more than he could express in words. </p><p>“Let’s just get up and meet Taeyong-hyung as well as the Day6 group in a meeting room, shall we?”, Doyoung tried to lift the atmosphere, which had become a little heavy. This question or better a certain word let Changbin sit up in an instant. Jisung knew the other wanted to see the members of Day6 even if he got scolded.</p><p>“Jae and the others are here?”, the vampire asked rather frantically. “Yes they are. Jae and Younghyun checked on you shortly after their arrival here. They were glad all of you seemed fine”, Doyoung answered calmly. So Jisung was right with the suggested that someone entered their room while they were asleep. </p><p>“Let us not make the others wait too long”, Doyoung added with a soft smile on his lips. He gestured to the door of the room.</p><p>Jisung as well as Changbin and the Lee brothers agreed to that and finally got from their position on the couch to follow Doyoung, who was leading the way. Seungmin walked silently beside Jisung and the blue-haired male could tell that something was on the redhead’s mind. In all honesty the warlock had pictured his reunion with his best friend a little bit different than this but he couldn’t change it now. </p><p>At some point of their walk through the NCT headquarter had Minho casually intertwined his fingers with Jisung’s which made the young warlock feel a little bit better even though a certain amount of anxiety stayed in his chest. It scared him that he didn’t know what was going on but he would find out soon enough. </p><p>————————</p><p>When the group entered a little meeting room, Changbin was pulled to the side and more or less crushed by a hug from Sungjin. “Don’t you dare to ever run off on your own again”, the werewolf said which probably should have been scolding but his voice sounded too relieved and soft. Changbin was just glad he could be hugged by Sungjin again.  </p><p>“I’m sorry, hyung”, Changbin mumbled into the fabric of Sungjin’s red sweater. “Sungjin I think he needs to breath”, the vampire prince heard Younghyun say. The werewolf released the vampire prince from his hold, so Changbin could finally see his five hyungs and if he was honest with himself he had never been happier to see them. </p><p>“Can I just say that your parents were very close to just burn the three of us on a stake?”, Dowoon said gesturing to Jae, Younghyun and himself. There was no bite or accusation in the voice of Day6’s youngest, just a little bit of humor but Changbin still felt guilty. His parents probably screamed at them for not having an eye on him. </p><p>“I’m sorry for causing you trouble”, the vampire mumbled, looking to the ground. “We both are”, Changbin suddenly heard Jisung say beside him, which made him rise his gaze to look at the young warlock. “Apology accepted. We are just glad you two are okay. So is Changkyun by the way”, Jae said ruffling the already messy hair from the both of them. </p><p>“But nobody can deny that you played an important role in yesterday’s events”, Taeyong spoke up from his place at the large, round table, that was placed in the room’s middle. The attention of everyone now laid on the red-haired guardian, who gestured everyone to take a seat at the table. </p><p>Changbin sat down between Jisung and Jae, feeling rather safe by their sides while watching Taeyong stand up and perform a little spell, which let the middle of the table become light blue. It created a sort of little platform, which soon became a little forest with a few houses in the middle. </p><p>The vampire recognized this as the territory of the sky clan, lead by Lee brothers’ parents. Just thinking about the parents of his two cat-like friends let his let his mind flashback to the memory of Felix’s mother being buried under a burning tree, her words and the sudden appearance of the hunter dressed in black with the red crystal around his neck. It also let Changbin painfully remember that he hadn’t really told anybody of this encounter, not Felix, not Doyoung. </p><p>Guild began to eat away the vampire’s consciousness. His fingers buried themselves into the fabric of his pants while thousands of negative thoughts brought his mind far away from the meeting room. He couldn’t hear Taeyong talk, he had the feeling of barely seeing the red-haired guardian properly. </p><p>“Just tell them what you saw, Changbin! It isn’t that hard damn it. They will understand that you haven’t said it right away”, the vampire prince tried to reason with himself in his now messy mind but it was no use, thousands of other thoughts shouted at him how everyone would have expected him to say it as fast as possible. How they would yell at him that he should have known how to handle a situation like that since he had been prepared for this kind of stuff. After all he was a prince! The heir to the vampire throne! He will have to face situations like that in his future as king! He was supposed to keep a cool head, to act calm, mature and not emotional, irrational! He should have been able to safe the Lee brothers’ mother!</p><p>The vampire prince only snapped out of his thoughts when he registered a warm hand on his shoulder and a voice, which seemed to sing to him. Slowly Changbin ripped himself out of this dark spiral of thoughts, slowly taking notice of his rapid breathing and burning eyes as well as his wet cheeks and blurry vision. </p><p>“Just breath Changbin. There is nothing to be afraid of, alright?”, the black-haired male heard Jae say beside him. Surprisingly the other vampire’s voice hadn’t been the one that had sung to Changbin but it did calm him down a little more. The vampire prince closed his eyes, concentrated on his breath and Jae’s voice which seemed to guide him in this darkness. </p><p>When he felt calm and strong enough Changbin open his eyes again and was met with a lot of worried gazes. “I-I am fine now”, he brought out even though his voice cracked and he stuttered. The vampire wiped his tears away with the sleeves of his black sweater while trying to mentally collect himself. </p><p>“Changbin if you don’t feel comfortable talking about yesterday’s events you are allowed to just leave the room”, Taeyong said, sounding concerned. He looked at the vampire with sympathy in his dark blue eyes but Changbin didn’t want this. After all he needed to tell them about Mrs. Lee and the hunter. </p><p>“No, it’s fine. I-“, the vampire started with an rather emotional voice but then stopped. He took a deep breath, mentally locking away any feeling that would affect him now. It took him a moment but he managed it, letting his mind switch to a more logical mindset.</p><p> “I have something to address. It’s about something I saw or better witnessed”, Changbin continued in a much calmer, objective tone to the surprise of everyone in the room. A little nod from Taeyong gave the vampire prince the permission to continue. </p><p>“After I saved Felix from the fire I ran back to it, trying to locate more people, who have been caught in the flames but I couldn’t find anybody except a certain female cat hybrid, who I believe was Felix’s and Minho’s mother. She was buried under a burning tree and in pain but still strong enough to consider me a threat, which made it hard for me to help her instantly but I managed to gain her trust by saying Felix’s name. Still I didn’t manage to save her because a hunter came along. She told me to take Felix and run away because the hunters already got her whole clan and mate and she didn’t want them to take her son too. I then followed her command and ran away”, Changbin explained situation, feeling how keeping his emotions down got harder but he managed. </p><p>“Thank you for telling us, Changbin”, Taeyong thanked the young prince warmly and with an reassuring smile but it didn’t make the short male feel better because he could almost feel the Lee brothers’ shock and sadness even though he didn’t even glance at them. It was like he could feel the negative emotions slowly pressing him into his chair. </p><p>“This-“, Taeyong wanted to continue but the door of the little meeting room flew open revealing a male with black hair, high cheekbones and black eyes who was dressed in all black. “The royal palace of the vampires is under attack!”, the male yelled with wide eyes, breathing heavily. </p><p>“What!?”, Jae exclaimed in union with Younghyun and Changbin. They looked shocked at the unknown male. Changbin could feel his anxiety skyrocketing, letting him clench the sides of his chair. This couldn’t be happening. How could the hunters make a whole cat hybrid clan disappear and not a day after that attack one of the best guarded places in the supernatural world? </p><p>“We got a call from a royal guard named Park Chanyeol. He said the palace is being ambushed by hunters but that’s all he was able to say before the signal was gone”, the black-haired male explained frantically. “Sicheng-hyung already checked the name. It’s unlikely for it to be a set-up”, he added. </p><p>Changbin almost jumped up from his place when he heard the name “Park Chanyeol”. He knew the gigantic male vampire personally and was aware of the guard’s excellent abilities. If he was unable to handle the situation with his team and was therefore calling for help then the palace was probably run over. </p><p>“We need to go there now”, Dowoon voiced exactly what Changbin was thinking. “Xiaojun, call everyone to the teleportation room except the Dreamies and YangYang. They need to contact K.A.R.D and Got7 but send Jeno and Jaemin in here”, Taeyong immediately said, in a collected and calm but still professional voice. Xiaojun nodded and hurried off in a supernatural speed, that was only common for vampires. </p><p>“You are allowed to join us if you like”, the guardian said to Jae as well as Sungjin while walking towards the door, waiting there until Doyoung was by his side. “Of course we will come along”, Younghyun huffed joining the guardian’s side pretty quickly. Sungjin and Dowoon followed suit. Changbin wanted to automatically follow them but Jae made the young prince sit down again by pushing him down. </p><p>“Don’t even think about it, Changbin”, the blond vampire said. “But hyung, it’s-“, the black-haired vampire wanted to argue, looking at the older vampire with an almost desperate glimmer in his eyes but he was cut off by Jae saying quietly: “There is a possibility the hunters are after your parents, so the stupidest thing we could do is bringing you along. Stay here and stay safe.”</p><p>The vampire prince couldn’t argue with that especially not when Jae had this serious and stern look in his eyes. “Alright”, Changbin hushed, feeling like a scolded child but his heart was beating fast with anxiety. The blond vampire patted his shoulder before joining his three group members. </p><p>“Hyung, no”, Changbin heard Seungmin complain rather loudly, which got his attention. His gaze fell immediately onto the upset redhead and Wonpil, who had stood up from his place on the table and seemingly planed on joining his four friends and Taeyong but his younger brother held onto his arm. Seungmin looked almost scared even though he tried to hide it. </p><p>“If they go, I have to go with them. We are a group after all”, Wonpil said, having a reassuring smile on his lips to try to comfort Seungmin. “Trust me. I can handle it and I promise I will be back soon, so tell Byungho, Woosu and Samuel that they need to hold on a little while longer”, he added. Seungmin still didn’t seem convinced but he slowly let go of his older brother’s arm, allowing him to join his friends’ side. </p><p>“Just stay here until Jeno and Jaemin come to get you”, Taeyong said to the five teenagers before he left the room with Doyoung and the five members of Day6. After the door closed there was a suffocating silence between the five friends. It made Changbin’s chest feel heavy and breathing harder. </p><p>“This feels like the end of the world”, Felix sobbed after a while, breaking the silence and gaining everyone’s attention. Tears were falling down from the ginger’s eyes and if Minho hadn’t immediately wrapped his younger brother up in a hug, Changbin would have done it in a heartbeat. </p><p>Felix clung onto his brother while burying his face in the older’s shoulder, trying to not fully break down again. Jisung joined the comfort hug without a special expression on his face but Changbin could tell the young warlock had a lot of worries and fears himself and just hid them. </p><p>Seungmin only sat on his chair, looking at his lap, not moving a single muscle. Changbin felt emotionally dead and overwhelmed at the same time but he still stood up to walk over to the redhead. The vampire wordlessly tapped Seungmin on the shoulder, gaining his attention. The demon looked at the young prince with an unreadable expression but Changbin knew this exact face from himself, when he forcefully pushed every emotion down. </p><p>Without any words Changbin wrapped his arms around the redhead and Seungmin didn’t fight that one bit. He even leaned a little into the older but shorter male while keeping his mouth sealed. The vampire laid his head on top of the redhead’s while looking out of the big windows of the meeting room. </p><p>Maybe the end of the world wasn’t that far fetched but it terrified Changbin to know that the hunters were able to attack the vampires’ palace like it was an unprotected champ. </p><p>“Mother, Father, hyungs, everyone, please be safe”, Changbin internally prayed for the well-being of everyone involved in this new fight while holding Seungmin in his arms.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Future King</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Day6 and NCT return from the battle at the vampire palace with bad news.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The big doors of what seemingly was a throne room were pushed open by a rather small, fragile looking woman with long dark blue hair, which matched her midnight-blue cloak and complimented her sky-blue eyes. </p><p>She marched into the throne room like she owned the place, pretending like there were no fighting noises in the background or that two male vampires were charging at her with swords in their hands. A chuckle left her beautiful pink lips, when she simply raised a hand to throw the vampires against a wall with an immense force. An unhealthy crack was heard along with the vampires gasping before they fell to the ground limply. </p><p>“Even those guards are no match for me”, the woman sneered, continuing to walk gracefully towards the two thrones in the middle of the gigantic throne room. A wicked smiled could be seen on her pretty face when she caressed the golden armrests. </p><p>“The vampires really know how to make a throne fit for royalty”, she mused to herself and sat down on the queen’s throne, looking at the damage she had caused. </p><p>Her wicked smile grew when she saw through the wide open door of the thrown room, how a vampire was stabbed through the heart with a sword made of pure silver by a certain masked hunter with a red crystal dangling around his neck. The vampire coughed up blood, which turned from dark red to a sickening silver tone before he fell limply to the ground not moving a muscle anymore. </p><p>“Bravo, Reinhard”, the woman calmly cheered and clapped, gaining the hunter’s attention. The man walked calmly into the throne room, towards the woman without any sort of worry or hesitation. He was dressed completely in black with face-mask and hood up, which made him look like an assassin, who was used to hiding in the shadows. The red crystal around his neck was the only thing that stood out from his dark outfit. </p><p>The woman noticed the sword made of silver, the hunter still carried in his right hand. It was dunked in silver vampire blood which made her wicked smile even wider. </p><p>“You killed some vampires, I see?”, the woman asked in interest. “Only the ones, who were too hard to catch”, Reinhard answered, glancing at his sword with the silver blood dripping down from it. The woman smiled like something pleasant had happened, despite it being obvious that a murderer stood in front of her. </p><p>“I did give the permission this time. We just need a bunch of vampires along with their king and queen of course”, she said, leaning back into the soft cushion of the queen’s throne. Her plan was working perfectly until now. </p><p>The man shook his head lightly. “You are a mystery to me, my queen”, Reinhard stated, letting the smile on the woman’s face turned into an amused grin. “I am impossible to read, is what a certain someone used to say to me but that’s not the point now”, she said, standing up from the throne and walking away from it with Reinhard following her suit. </p><p>“Other creatures are on their way here. My barriers can’t hold them off for too long. They have skilled magic users within their rows, so we need to find Seo Shiwon and Seo Ahri as fast as possible, capture or kill the remaining residents of the palace and then evacuate all hunters”, the woman continued while walking out of the throne room, not caring at all when she stepped over the bodies of a few dead vampires. </p><p>“What about the vampire crown prince, Seo Changbin?”, Reinhard asked, looking at his queen in question. The woman didn’t look back at the hunter and just continued walking. “He is a child and means no harm to us or our plan”, the woman answered in a neutral tone. The eyes of the hunter with the red crystal narrowed themselves while he watched the woman walk away. </p><p>“Even you don’t know where he is, do you?”, Reinhard asked in a monotone voice. The woman halted, slowly turning around to the hunter with no emotion being visible on her face. “His parents have hidden him well. Even I couldn’t figure out how he looks while doing my research but one of the captured vampires will know it, so it is no obstacle for us”, the female with the blue hair answered.</p><p>Reinhard hummed in response, not questioning his queen any further and just walking by her side but the woman seemed to be slightly irritated by that despite the hunter not doing anything. </p><p>“Don’t worry about this vampire you let get away. He was only a child and didn’t get much information from the Sky Clan’s female leader”, she stated, like she had read the hunter beside her while rolling her eyes a little. “Wait, are they still calling themselves Sky Clan? Doesn’t matter anymore. We have all of them locked away”, the woman added after a short pause almost like she was talking to herself.</p><p>“We don’t have all of them”, Reinhard said, still using a monotone voice. He looked at the woman beside him with unreadable eyes. The female only scrunched up her nose in displeasure. </p><p>“Two little cat hybrids won’t do much either. Why are you questioning me so much today, Reinhard?”, the blue-haired woman asked, pronouncing the hunter’s name slower and with a bit of an accents. She stopped walking and turned around, so she could stand in front of the hunter with the red crystal. </p><p>“Our last mission was a success but we let four teenagers get away and Emily was captured by one of the supernatural creature we tried to avoid”, the man answered without any sort of emotion in his voice. His black eyes stared directly into the sky blue orbs of the woman. The woman huffed and turned around again to continue walking but Reinhard stayed where he was. </p><p>“It was Emily’s own fault that she got captured by Lee Taeyong. She should have been more careful”, the female said with a little bit of annoyance in her tone. She didn’t notice the hunter not following her and even if she did she ignored it. </p><p>“Zendala”, Reinhard spoke the woman’s name with a little bit of badly hidden anger in his voice. “She is one of us. She is a huntress. We should at least try to save her and not just continue our plan like nothing happen”, the man said, while pulling down his face-mask, revealing multiple claw-like scars which went from his left cheek over his mouth to the right side of his jawline. </p><p>Zendala whipped her head around to look at the hunter again. Irritation was glimmering in her sky blue eyes but she stayed collected. “Right now we don’t have time for discussions like that. We need to finish our current mission and then we can talk about Emily”, Zendala said in a serious tone matching Reinhard’s intense gaze. </p><p>“We want to reach our goal, don’t we?”, the woman asked, already knowing the answer. “For that we have to trust each other blindly which means tell me about this young, blue-haired warlock we aren’t allowed to lay a hand on”, Reinhard insisted. </p><p>The blue-haired woman released a breath, letting her gaze drop for a short moment, so she could rub her temples. “I will tell you about him but not now”, she said and then just continued walking without waiting for the hunter anymore. </p><p>“We have a tight schedule if you can remember. Our next target is the Moon pack along with it’s three associated wolf hybrid packs but before we can attack them we need to do some research and let our troops recover from this battle. We managed to catch the vampires off guard but they still put up a fight”, Zendala added. Reinhard followed the woman like he had beforehand but this time it seemed more like he wanted to follow her.  </p><p>The two hurriedly walked down the gigantic corridors of the vampire palace, which were covered in blood and bodies of both vampire and hunters but neither Reinhard nor Zendala cared. They had a goal they planed on reaching, even when they had to massacre an entire specie for it. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Seungmin couldn’t really tell how long it took for the majority of the NCT members and Day6 to return to the headquarter without a scratch. He had been too caught up in his head, trying to think of a kind of solution for this situation. Of course Seungmin wasn’t someone with unlimited knowledge, who always knew what to do but there was no denying that his demonic self had immense power as well as access to important knowledge through his parents. </p><p>The redhead had told Byungho, Samuel and Woosu to hold their current position a little longer thanks to his demon voice like Wonpil wanted, even though he had wished for his older brother to not go into the dangerous zone the palace of the vampires had apparently become through the attack of the hunters. </p><p>The waiting for the older NCT members and the whole Day6 group had been filled with tension even though Jeno and Jaemin, who had joined the five worried teenagers had tried to distract them to the best of their abilities. </p><p>Seungmin didn’t need to be fully aware of his surroundings to know Changbin was filled to the brim with worry and anxiety even though he tried to hide it. It was understandable since his people were attacked as well as his parents and he couldn’t do anything to help them. </p><p>Felix had been crying in Minho’s arms for a while but ultimately calmed down and dozed off with his head on his brother’s lap after they had settled onto the couch in the headquarter’s living room. They were lead there by Jeno and Jaemin since the two thought it would be great to watch a movie to distract everyone. </p><p>Minho and Jisung were probably the only ones along with the two NCT members, who actually paid attention to the movie. Seungmin couldn’t even recall what type of movie it was which they were watching. He had just sat at the end of the couch with Changbin on his left side, thinking about the current situation from every angle he could think of. What did the hunters want to achieve? What was there ultimate goal and how did they want to get there? How did they managed to attack two targets within just 24 hours? </p><p>The redhead had only been ripped out of these kind of thoughts when Changbin shot up beside him, looking at the door of the room where Jae stood along with his group members as well as Taeyong and Johnny. Seungmin’s gaze immediately fell onto his older brother, who appeared besides Jae. Wonpil had a rather neutral expression but Seungmin knew him well enough to know that there must be a storm of emotions behind it. Still, the redhead couldn’t deny he was relived to see that everyone at least seemed fine.</p><p>“Changbin could we talk to you for a minute?”, Taeyong asked, sounding like it was a normal question. Seungmin mustered NCT’s leader, trying to figure out what he was really thinking but he couldn’t find anything which made his gaze shift to Jae almost automatically. </p><p>The blond vampire with the round glasses was a lot easier to read than Wonpil or Taeyong, which made Seungmin immediately pick up on the sadness in the older’s eyes as well as his lightly slumped shoulders. “The hunters won again”, the redhead thought to himself, immediately putting on a facade like Wonpil so nobody could see how worried or shocked he was now. </p><p>Changbin stood up from his place beside Seungmin and walked over to the older males, following them out of the room. Wonpil and Dowoon stayed back though, walking over to the couch and casually sitting down. Wonpil seated himself beside Seungmin, on Changbin’s previous spot, and Dowoon sat down in front of him on the ground.</p><p>Seungmin eyed them a little. He already knew his older brother was just hiding his true emotions, which nobody else seemed to notice but Dowoon was a different story. Maybe the young demon just knew the black-haired vampire too well or it was very obvious that he was anxious, sad, angry and scared when you just observed his eyes and his nervous little movements with his fingers, which seemingly could only be calm by Wonpil putting a hand on his shoulder. </p><p>“Did something go wrong on your mission?”, Jaemin asked carefully from his sitting position on the ground. He was looking at Wonpil and Dowoon like literally everyone else in the room, except Felix because he was still asleep. </p><p>“The palace of the vampires was empty when we arrived. No hunters but also no vampires”, Wonpil answered in a neutral tone but Seungmin knew he was lying. It scared the young redhead even more. What did his older brother see at the vampire palace?</p><p>“But let’s talk about that later, shall we?”, Wonpil more said than asked with a little smile on his features. Jaemin gave him a little nod and turned his attention back to the TV where the movie was still playing, laying his head on Jeno’s shoulder.</p><p>Seungmin didn’t focus on the movie like seemingly everybody else. He looked down onto his lap asking himself what the hunters really wanted to achieve with probably killing and kidnapping every creature they came across. </p><p>————————</p><p>As soon as Changbin left the little living room he felt an warm arm lay itself onto his shoulders. He would have flinched if he didn’t immediately recognize the familiar warmth of Sungjin. Without even glancing at the older male Changbin knew there was a little reassuring smile on the older’s lips even though he was probably very scared and worried too. The vampire kind of needed this gesture right now. </p><p>He send a silent “thank you” to the werewolf and just continued to follow Taeyong almost blindly while also staying close to Sungjin. The young prince knew something terrible must have happened to his people, his parents because he had noticed the defeated and sad eyes of Jae, Dowoon and Younghyun as soon as they had entered the living room which had made him shoot up from the couch so quickly but for now he tried to not focus on it too much. </p><p>Taeyong lead the group back to the meeting room they had occupied before Xiaojun told them the vampire palace was under attack. The guardian waited until everyone took a seat and the door was closed. Changbin tried to not seemed like the anxious and terrified teen he was but the heir of the vampire throne even though it was hard to hide his current fears. </p><p>“At first I should clarify that everyone here is aware of Changbin’s true status within the vampire hierarchy”, Taeyong started, looking at Changbin who tried to sit straight and seem at least a little confident. “Which is why the things we will discuss now are important for all vampires”, the guardian continued. </p><p>Changbin had a really bad feeling when Taeyong created another magical map on the table but this time it showed not forest and a few houses but the royal palace of the vampires. “Changbin I won’t talk around it. When we entered the palace we were already too late. Your parents were gone and so seemed to be some other vampires but the majority was dead”, the guardian reported. He looked at Changbin with empathy but behind that the vampire noticed the bit of sadness. </p><p>All eyes were on Changbin now, who sat there staring at the light blue miniature of the royal palace. The young vampire showed no reaction until a simple, almost not audible question left his lips. “How many?”, he asked, not looking up. A short silence followed before Taeyong spoke up again.</p><p>“We found 76 corpses but we aren’t sure those were all. The royal guards were only partly among them”, Taeyong answered. He tried to make his tone sound factual but there was a hint of hopelessness behind it. The part with the royal guard caught Changbin’s attention almost instantly. </p><p>“Which of the royal guards weren’t you able to find?”, Changbin wanted to know, now being more audible. He needed to know which of them could still be alive. “Park Chanyeol, Byun Baekhyun and Oh Sehun”, Taeyong answered. </p><p>This statement was followed by a tense silence since Changbin had gone quiet again but then the young prince calmly stood up. Something within him had turned on the autopilot. </p><p>“Thank you for telling me this kind of information, Taeyong-ssi. I will try to figure out what to do for my people”, the young prince stated like a robot in a monotone and emotionless voice. Changbin himself didn’t fully realized how he managed to say that but he did. Internally the young vampire could feel his emotions swirling in his chest like a hurricane. It was like it took him the air to breath properly. </p><p>Without waiting for anyone he walked out of the meeting room. He had the feeling this room was suffocating him for a second time today, so without really knowing where he was going he just walked down the corridor. </p><p>Changbin felt like his head was empty and full with thoughts at the same time. Maybe it was just his brain desperately trying to not cause a second anxiety attack or his conscious which worked through the things he had heard not long ago. </p><p>Everything around the vampire prince began to blur together without him noticing it properly. He just walked down the corridor with fast steps, keeping his eyes glued to the ground before his feet  while his head was a battlefield. </p><p>If his parents really were kidnapped - or worse dead - Changbin would automatically become the king of all vampires until they returned, if they return. He couldn’t do anything about that. He had to take this place if he wanted or not, if he was ready or not.</p><p>The young prince wanted to cry, to break down again but there was no point in that. He had to be strong now. He had to be a leader, a king, if it really came down to that. A part of him still had the hope that his parents just escaped the hunters’ grip and went into hiding for the time being but it was unlikely. The pure reason the hunters attacked the vampire palace was probably for his parents.</p><p>Changbin was so out of it he didn’t notice how the corridor ended, which made him walk straight into the wall. He stumbled back a little after the hard impact and like it was a reflex the young vampire prince punched the wall as hard as he could. His fist made contact with the wall, followed by a very loud cracking sound. Luckily it wasn’t Changbin’s hand, no, it was the wall which now had large cracks in it. </p><p>The vampire breathed heavily while staring at the cracks he created, which slowly repaired themselves. He retracted his hand after he felt the cracks being repaired under his knuckles. His hand was fine when he looked at it, no blood, not even a scratch but he noticed that his mind had cleared, had sorted itself for the moment. </p><p>“Changbin...?”, he heard Jae say behind him. He turned around to look at the blond, who not only seemed defeated, tiered and sad like before but also a little scared. </p><p>“I’m sorry I ran off, hyung. I needed to clear my head. I will come back now if we need to continue the previous talk”, the vampire prince said, sounding calm almost uninterested like he had when he still hung out with Ryan and Chantelle at school. Jae seemed almost a little dumbfounded. </p><p>“Y-yeah I think there are still some things to talk about”, the older answered with a light stutter. He looked at Changbin like the younger had become a totally different person.</p><p>“Alright. Let’s go back to the meeting room”, Changbin confirmed, walking past Jae and automatically taking the lead while letting the blond vampire trail behind him until he finally caught up to the prince. Changbin started to think about the future plans for the vampires. He would need to somehow contact the remains of the vampires and get them to a safe place but he also knew that a lot of vampire would want to fight. </p><p>“You know, hyung. The hunters just declared war to all vampires in the worst way possible. I guess they didn’t know that, so maybe we can make that to an advantage and surprise them with a bunch of very angry vampires”, Changbin calmly stated, glancing at his hyung. Jae looked at him like he was mad. </p><p>“They are one step ahead of us. We could never take them by surprise”, the blond dismissed with a shake of his head. Changbin hummed, signaling he heard that. “I still need to talk it over with Taeyong-ssi, just in case. We also need to find a new hiding place for the remaining vampires, so they don’t go to Transylvania”, the young prince stated in a very neutral tone. </p><p>Just now the older vampire noticed that the red glimmer in Changbin’s eyes was more present than before which didn’t leave room for much interpretation. The short male that was calmly walking beside him was not the wannabe bad boy who was actually a softie, not the one who sometimes jokingly called him Chicken Little and definitely not the pure, shy and cute kid he used to babysit but the vampire crown prince, the trained heir to the vampire throne. </p><p>His future king.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0045"><h2>45. Red Glow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung has strange nightmares he forgets as soon as the wakes up and Jae talks to Changbin.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A little gasp escaped Jisung’s lips when he woke up from a nightmare he only remembered in bits but those were enough to scare him to death. He shot up from his bed and looked around in the rather dark room like a scared animal with wide eyes and short breaths. Noticing the unfamiliar plain walls and the simple furniture of the room he was currently in, wasn’t making his anxiety go away at all, so he tried thinking rationally, remembering where he was exactly and how he got here but he was only met with images of uncountable bodies on a red-golden carpet along with the big halls of a gigantic palace and glimpses of dark blue hair. </p><p>The young warlock shook his head, trying to get rid of those blurry images and finally focus on the things at hand. Where was he? Why was he here? How did he get here? Slowly it dawned to him that he was in a guest room of the NCT headquarter. He was here because it was decided that it would be safer for Changbin and him to stay with the rather big, experienced group. Minho and Felix stayed too since it was considered to be too dangerous to let them live at their family’s house in Yellow Wood alone. </p><p>“Jisung, are you okay?”, the young warlock heard Minho ask. Jisung looked around and was met with the piercing green cat eyes of the older, who was calmly walking over to the younger. The cat hybrid’s eyes seemed to glow in the light of the night sky, which was falling through the curtains of the rather big windows. </p><p>Minho, Jisung, Felix and Changbin shared a room with two very comfortable bunk beds but Changbin was seemingly very busy with his new role as the temporary king of all vampires, which led to him being barely present in this room. </p><p>That Changbin would have to take on the role of king so soon even if it was temporary let Jisung feel like he had failed the young vampire crown prince. Jisung had a vision of the fire at the Sky clan territory but he had been surprised by the ambush on the vampire palace just like everyone else.</p><p>The news of Changbin being the temporary king of the vampires hadn’t been delivered by the vampire prince himself but Jae and Younghyun, who filled Jisung, Minho and Felix in on the situation around Changbin to make them understand that their friend will probably be very busy in the next time. </p><p>This happened around a week ago and Changbin really didn’t spend much time with them. He seemed to be around Taeyong a lot but he was always followed by Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon, which Jisung deemed reasonable since they had known the vampire prince the longest and probably helped him a lot to deal with political vampire stuff. </p><p>Changbin seemed to handle being king surprising well. So well that Jisung had once seen him in the headquarter’s corridor and needed to remind himself that this was his friend from school, who was only around a year older than him. The vampire seemed so much more professional but also a bit distant. It reminded him of the way Changbin had behaved around the vampires at Miroh High but it was with less disinterest and more coldness. </p><p>Of course this sudden change in Changbin’s character was a surprise for his friends but they understood his current situation thanks to Jae and Younghyun and patiently waited for the vampire prince to come to them if he needed something. After all Jisung was certain that Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon were taking good care of their temporary king, making him not worried too about Changbin’s wellbeing. </p><p>“Talk to me, Hannie”, Minho said, sitting down beside Jisung while looking at the warlock with concern being evident in his piercing green cat eyes. Jisung ripped himself out of his thoughts and let his gaze meet Minho’s. His brain needed a minute to register what the other had said but as soon as it did he wanted to cry at the use of the nickname. </p><p>The older male hadn’t used the nickname for such a long time and it threw the younger’s mind back to a time where everything at least seemed fine. Still, the blue-haired male didn’t allow himself to cry or tell Minho about his nightmares. The older had enough to carry on his two shoulders since Felix had a lot of nightmares about his parents in the last week, leading him to sleep in a bed with Minho all the time. Felix found immense comfort in being cuddled up to his older brother, which was the pure reason he got any sleep. </p><p>Jisung was sleeping alone in his bottom bed for the pure reason of knowing that his current sleep was everything but not peaceful or calm. He was kicking and turning around, trying to shake of nightmares and images that plagued his sleep ever since the incident with the Sky clan. He had never dared telling Minho about it even when the other asked. </p><p>Jisung took a breath, closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them and once again looking into the piercing green cat eyes of Minho, which weren’t far away from him. “Just dreamed something a bit scary but I already can’t remember what”, the young warlock whispered, telling a half lie and looking away from Minho. He heard Minho hum and shortly after he felt two arms wrap themselves around him from the side. “There is nothing you can’t tell, alright?”, the older mumbled near the warlock’s ear, sending a little shiver down the younger’s spine while his mind kept telling him to not be a burden to Minho. </p><p>The warlock couldn’t help but slightly shift his position so he was face to face with older and was able look into the older’s piercing green cat eyes again. It was an absolute mystery to Jisung how Minho was able to stay so calm and collected after everything he had been through. He was shot with a tranquilizer pin, comforted his crying younger brother multiple times just the last week, was told his parents had been abducted by hunters along with their whole clan and he didn’t shed a single tear. It made Jisung worry but also admire the older’s strength and he internally wished he could be like him. </p><p>“I know I can tell you everything, hyung”, the warlock whispered, letting his forehead rest on Minho’s while closing his eyes. “But it’s for the better if you don’t know what I am dreaming about”, the warlock internally added, trying to tell himself that it was okay to not tell Minho about his nightmares to sort of protect the other from burdening him with this kind of knowledge. He heard the older hum as a response and felt how the other tightened his hold on Jisung just a bit. </p><p>“Lay down with me?”, Minho asked in a quiet voice. “What about Felix?”, Jisung asked in return, opening his eyes again only to see that the older had his closed. “He sleeps like a stone right now”, the older huffed, making Jisung chuckle a bit. Minho never needed to say much to convince Jisung to lay down with him. </p><p>“Alright then”, the younger agreed and in the same second Minho just let himself fall to the side, bringing Jisung down with him. The young warlock was a bit taken by surprise but he didn’t complain, especially when the moonlight filtering through the curtains, perfectly highlighting Minho’s already perfect facile features. </p><p>Jisung couldn’t help but stare a little which didn’t go unnoticed by the older. Minho chuckled a little. “I know you are staring, Hannie”, the older said, slowly opening his eyes again. The younger didn’t register what Minho really said being to enchanted by the beautiful piercing green cat eyes that were focused on his own but a part of his brain did notice how softly the other said his nickname. </p><p>“Say it again”, these words left the young warlock’s lips without him really realizing it. Minho’s eyes showed confusion for a short second before it was replaced by something else. Something warmer but Jisung couldn’t properly name it. </p><p>“Hannie”, the older repeated the warlock’s nickname in an even softer voice. It made Jisung feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, replacing all his current negative emotions and doubts with something he could only describe as warmth. </p><p>“You are just wonderful”, Jisung murmured, breaking eye contact with the older so he could bury his face in the other‘s chest. He could literally feel Minho’s chuckle because of the little movements of his chest. “I mean that seriously”, Jisung mumbled against the older’s chest while he felt a blush rise to his cheeks. “You are caring, brave, beautiful and strong”, the warlock added. </p><p>“I’m not strong”, the older answered with no special tone. Jisung wasn’t believing what he was hearing, so he pushed himself up readjusted his position again, so he was looking into Minho’s face again. He brought his hands up so he could place them on the older’s cheeks. There was no way he would let Minho say he wasn’t strong. </p><p>“Nonsense. One week ago you took everything thrown at you with your head high while you also comforted the people around you. You gave them strength by staying calm. Even now you still do that. You give Felix strength and comfort whenever he needs it and you also give me strength”, the warlock argued, looking directly into the other’s eyes. </p><p>Minho was quiet, just focusing his green cat eyes on the young warlock in front of him. They were unreadable. “Then I’m only strong because of you”, the older admitted in a quiet voice. Jisung blinked dumbfounded at that. How could Minho be strong because of him? He done nothing to help the older through anything since he didn’t know how. </p><p>“But how? I’m just ...”, the warlock trailed off, not really knowing what to say. “It was enough to have you by my side. You made me strong just by being right there”, Minho explained softly. The younger was baffled at that. Did he really have that kind of effect on the older or was Minho just plainly flirting with him? No, no Minho wouldn’t do that in the current situation. </p><p>Jisung got a little shy and wanted to avoid the older’s piercing green but he just couldn’t when Minho’s turned his head slightly to press a short kiss onto the warlock’s palm, which had been resting on his cheeks. “You have a positive effect on people, Hannie. Especially on the people you are close to”, the older mumbled before he brought his head back into his previous position, looking at the warlock once more. </p><p>If the young warlock hadn’t been stunned before he definitely was know. He was just caught in Minho’s piercing green cat eyes. They just seemed warm and kind to him even though some people would describe them as too intense. Even though the eyes of the older were captivating the only thing that went through Jisung’s head was that he wanted to kiss the other. </p><p>Without really registering what he was really doing, Jisung pulled Minho’s head towards him, so he could kiss the older without much trouble. The warlock automatically closed his eyes when his lips met Minho’s in sweet, innocent kiss. </p><p>In that moment Jisung realized how long it had been since he had kissed Minho. The older’s lips were still warm and soft like he remembered as well as this feeling was paired with the young warlock’s quickening heartbeat but there was also this tingling feeling in the younger’s stomach he could only describe as butterflies as sappy as it may sound. </p><p>The kiss was slow, soft and innocent, making both of the young males feel comfortable, protected and loved. Jisung noticed that Minho purposely left him to lead the kiss, which made the warlock smile a little bit against the other’s lips. </p><p>When the two pulled away from each other, Jisung kept his hands on the other’s cheeks, which made the younger quite literally feel the other smile while his eyes stayed close because he was pretty sure he would melt when he looked into the older’s eyes now. </p><p>“Hannie, please look at me”, he heard the older try to coax him. Jisung lightly shook his head, feeling how the little smile on his lips, which had formed on his lips became wider. “Please”, Minho tried again in a soft tone. Jisung noticed the way the other got really close to him because his hands still rested on the cat hybrid’s cheeks. </p><p>“Please, Hannie”, the other tried once more but this time the young warlock could feel his breath ghosting over his lips. </p><p>Slowly Jisung opened his eyes, being almost confused when he noticed how the older’s eyes were back to their usual dark brown color but he didn’t have much time to think about that before Minho took him by surprise and kissed him. </p><p>Leave it to Lee Minho to always surprise everyone with something that seemingly had no logic or made any kind of sense. </p><p>Jisung was taken aback by the sudden kiss but that didn’t mean he didn’t respond to it instantly. His lips moved in harmony with Minho’s, letting the warlock feel even fuzzier inside than he had beforehand. There just was this kind of difference between him kissing Minho and Minho kissing him. </p><p>Still the warlock wasn’t prepared when Minho slowly released the younger from his embrace, only to change there position entirely. He flipped them over in a way that let Jisung not know how the older ended up hovering over him while not breaking their kiss once. </p><p>Jisung let his hands wander from Minho’s cheeks up to the other’s hazelnut brown hair. The blue haired male pulled Minho just a bit closer, let his fingers get tangled up in the soft hair of the cat hybrid. </p><p>The warlock’s fuzzy feeling had been replaced with something that had Jisung’s skin burning even though it didn’t hurt one bit. Everything just tingled and felt hot. If the younger’s brain would be able to function properly at the moment he would question himself if Minho felt that too or if it was just him. </p><p>When the two pulled away from each other after what felt like an eternity as well as just a second, it wasn’t because they wanted but air was needed. They definitely didn’t want to pull away from that kiss. </p><p>Jisung just stared at the older, who was still hovering over him while panting lightly, not caring that his fingers were still tangled up in Minho’s soft hair. The other wasn’t better though. He was lightly panting as well and didn’t take his eyes off Jisung for even a second. His hands were placed beside the younger’s head but that was unimportant in the moment. </p><p>The younger was trying to figure out what he was thinking but he just ended up looking at the other’s perfectly shaped lips. They were slightly parted through the other’s now barely audible panting and to Jisung they seemed even prettier now than before. Jisung’s breath hitched when Minho’s lips curled up in a smirk, letting his eyes focus back onto the older’s eyes, which shimmered with amusement.  </p><p>“You are very obvious when you are staring, Hannie”, the older only stated before just letting himself fall onto the warlock. Jisung lightly groaned and laughed at the same time, automatically taking his hands out of Minho’s hair so he could wrap his arms around the older. </p><p>“I am not obvious. I’m very secretive”, the warlock jokingly argued. Minho only huffed at that. Jisung noticed how tiered the older seemed now and at the same time felt his own tiredness slowly take over. Good thing Minho kept him from kissing him again by just letting himself fall on top of him. They both needed the sleep. </p><p>The younger felt how Minho nuzzled his head into the crock of his neck. It was probably the most adorable thing the warlock had witnessed. He would have cooed if he wasn’t so tiered. His eyelids fell close and he slowly drifted off into sleep with Minho laying on top of him.</p><p>—————————</p><p>“Changbin are you really sure about this?”, Taeyong asked the young vampire again, sounding a little bit concerned. Changbin only nodded with a determined look on his face. He was set on getting the guardian to agree on his suggestion. </p><p>“I am one hundred percent sure. Minho and Felix are the sons of the Sky Clan’s leader and Jisung has ties to the royal vampire family through me. They should be prepared for emergencies and be able to protect themselves”, the vampire prince stated, looking into the dark blue eyes of the guardian. </p><p>“He is not wrong, Taeyong”, Taeil, who stood beside the red-haired guardian agreed with Changbin. </p><p>Changbin, Taeyong and Taeil along with Johnny, Kun, Sungjin and Jae were currently in the meeting room discussing their plans in the points of preparation for future attacks from the hunters. They had been doing that for the whole week, which also resulted in a hiding place for the majority of the vampires. Taeyong had said that there was a lost unnamed city not far from Transylvania, which could serve the vampires as a place to stay. Changbin had a look on the place through a magical map and deemed it appropriate, so Taeyong and he organized a camp to be there with the help of a group named MAMAMOO, who were taking care of things there. </p><p>Despite the planing Taeyong and Changbin had gotten done over the last week they hadn’t failed to notice that the last week had been oddly quiet. No emergency signal from anybody and according to K.A.R.D, Got7, MonstaX, A.C.E and BTS everything at least seemed peaceful. More or less every creature was provisionally hidden from the eyes of the human civilians and continued living to the best of their abilities. Sadly most schools like Miroh High had stayed closed even though the Christmas holidays were already over. </p><p>“Honestly I have to side with Changbin too and add that everybody could need a little professional training”, Kun spoke up, looking at his leader. Taeyong sighed and let his eyes trail to Jae and Sungjin, who stood  on each side of Changbin. Despite Sungjin being a werewolf and no vampire he helped Changbin and his three vampire friends from Day6 out a lot. </p><p>“What do you two think about it?”, the guardian asked. Sungjin and Jae looked at each other for a brief second. “I guess Kun as well as Changbin have made a valid point. Even though I don’t like the thought of the younger ones having to fight against hunters at some point in the future I think we should at least give them the option of training for the worst case scenario”, Sungjin voiced his thoughts very honestly. </p><p>“I guess it’s decided then”, Taeyong sighed again, leaning back into his chair while slightly rubbing his temples. “Choosing the teachers will be my task then”, Johnny commented with a joking undertone, which earned him a little glare from the red-haired guardian. </p><p>“Thank you, Taeyong-ssi. I will tell Felix, Minho and Jisung about these news myself”, Changbin said in a very formal manner, standing up from his place. Without really waiting for an answer the vampire prince gave Taeyong a polite little nod of the head before he exited the room. </p><p>Changbin was pretty focused on walking towards the room he shared with his three friends, so he didn’t notice how Jae followed him until the blond stopped him by putting his hand on the shorter’s shoulder. </p><p>“Don’t stress so much about this Changbin”, the older said worriedly, which confused Changbin a little. The vampire prince turned around to face his hyung. “I am not stressing about it I just want to get it done as soon as possible since the hunters could attack any location at any time. They were too quiet this last week. They are probably planning something”, the vampire prince answered. </p><p>Jae only shook his head, letting his glasses slither down his nose a little bit. “Changbin when was the last time you even took the time to sleep?”, the older asked, confusing the shorter male even more. Why was he suddenly talking about sleeping? “You are getting off topic”, the vampire prince clarified, earning only a rather irritated look from the older male. What he done now to upset the other? </p><p>“Okay let me put it like that: I’m very worried about you and I’m not alone with that but apparently the only one who finally had enough from watching you slowly becoming a different person through your royal Red Glow”, the blond explained. Changbin frowned, not understanding what his Red Glow had anything to do with the current situation but he said nothing. </p><p>“Changbin, I know you haven’t slept the whole last week. You only occasionally went into your assigned room with your friends, only to come out an hour later. I know you have been looking for Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Sehun, Queen Ahri and King Shiwon through the book of vampires. I mean I freaking got it for you from your castle”, Jae explained, throwing his arms around in an rather upset way. Sure, Changbin had been searching for his parents and the remaining royal guard to the book of vampires late at night but he didn’t need sleep and it was something productive, so he couldn’t understand why the other upset about that. He was doing fine like this. </p><p>“Your behavior is not healthy. You have been functioning on your Red Glow ever since the meeting after the attack on the royal palace of your parents. I know it serves as tranquilizer and gives you immense strength as well as the ability to technically stay awake until eternity but it changes you. You act distant and you close yourself off like you used to when you were younger and-“, the older continued but was interrupted by his own sob. </p><p>Changbin watched as the older’s eyes slowly filled themselves with tears. He felt a weak pull at his chest, which his head interpreted as empathy while also trying to come up with a quick solution to calm Jae down.</p><p>“Goddamn it. Just give me back the Changbin that doesn’t talk about strategy all the time. The one who only pretends to be cold but actually couldn’t survive a week without a hug”, Jae mumbled, using the sleeve of his sweater to push his glasses back up and wipe the tears away. Somehow seeing the blond with teary eyes let something click in Changbin’s head. </p><p>“I am sorry I hurt you with my behavior, hyung”, Changbin said, taking a step forward, so he could hug Jae to comfort him. Somehow the black-haired male felt a little sting in his heart when the taller vampire wrapped his arms around him. Without really noticing Changbin lightly patted the other’s back like he was saying: It’s okay. </p><p>“You are an idiot, Seo Changbin”, the blond stated with a little bit of humor in his voice before he pulled away from the hug, wiping his eyes with his sleeve again. Changbin raised an eyebrow. </p><p>“I’m the idiot? Did you ever look into the mirror?”, the younger snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yah! Have a little bit more respect for your hyung!”, Jae shot back, lightly punching Changbin’s shoulder. The young prince let out a pained noise and rubbed his shoulder trying to ease the pain away, missing the way Jae smiled almost softly at him. </p><p>“I really do like this Changbin better”, the blond commented, making the vampire prince look at him again with confusion being evident in his black eyes once more. Jae chuckled and pointed at Changbin’s eyes. </p><p>“The Red Glow has gone back”, the older said, pointing a finger at Changbin’s eye, which made the younger vampire blinked automatically. Of course he couldn’t say if the other was right since he never was able to tell when his Red Glow was more prominent and when it was weak even when he stood in front of a mirror and could check how much red was in his iris. </p><p>“I hope that’s a good thing”, Changbin mumbled. “It is for the time being”, Jae answered ruffling through the younger’s black hair. Changbin huffed at the gesture but let it happen. </p><p>“I still need to the others about the training”, the vampire prince mumbled before he got an idea, letting his eyes start to shine. “Maybe we even can make Seungmin, Byungho, Jeongin and Hyunjin join it”, the vampire prince suggested with a little bit of excitement. </p><p>Jae seemed to think about it for a short moment. “How much do Hyunjin and Jeongin know about this whole situation?”, the blond asked, gesturing around. Changbin froze in place when he realized that Jeongin and Hyunjin knew nothing about this situation. Seungmin and Byungho knew a lot about the current situation because they were the ones, who got information out of the huntress Taeyong had caught. Changbin had never seen her personally, just knew she was held captive. </p><p>“As much as the media, meaning basically nothing. I figured that already”, Jae said, basically saying what Changbin had wanted to say. The older vampire seemed a little bit amused gaining himself an automatic glare from Changbin. </p><p>“Well tell your three friends here first. In the meantime I will talk to Taeyong and the rest about your little suggestion”, the older said. “Thank you, hyung”, Changbin beamed before speeding towards the room Minho, Felix and Jisung currently occupied. </p><p>He felt a little lighter than before and honestly he was glad he did. Maybe those were the after effects of his Red Glow but he didn’t really know. </p><p>The royal Red Glow was something that kicked in when it was needed like an instinct but only members of the royal family had it since it made them stronger than any other vampires and gave them the ability to think absolutely logical as well as strategic if it was necessary. Of course Jae wasn’t wrong when he said it also served as tranquilizer and gave Changbin the ability to stay awake until eternity but it more than anything stabilized a royal vampire’s mental state to ensure that he was able to lead his people in difficult times. </p><p>Changbin reached the door of the room, which currently housed his three friends.  He slowly opened said door, entering the room with quiet steps in case the other’s were still asleep. The lights were still turned off, meaning it took the vampire prince some time to adjust his eyes to the darkness. </p><p>When he could make out some things he tried to figure out where to go without stumbling over something or running against one of the bunk beds on accident. Suddenly a pair of glowing blue cat eyes appeared out of nowhere, letting Changbin flinch back in fear. He would have let out a little scream if he didn’t recognize the icy blue cat eyes as Felix’s a second later. </p><p>The cat hybrid swiftly went to Changbin and finally the vampire could make out the other’s form and not only his glowing cat eyes. “You scared me, Felix”, the vampire prince said but the younger shush him, taking his hand wordlessly and leading him to one of the bunk beds. </p><p>“Look at them being a cute couple”, the ginger whispered gesturing to the bottom bed, where Minho and Jisung still slept peacefully. Minho was laying on top of Jisung while the warlock had his arms around the older. Changbin had to admit they really looked adorable. </p><p>“You know I came here to tell the three of you something?”, Changbin asked quietly and looked to Felix. If he had to guess he would say Felix was smirking right now. “Leave it to me to wake them”, the younger said, letting go of Changbin’s hand only to walk back to the entrance of the room, where the vampire knew the light switch was located. </p><p>Quickly Changbin covered his to the dark adjusted eyes before Felix turned on the light. Even through his covered eyes the light stung a little but they adjusted quickly. Changbin heard Jisung groan in annoyance and he really couldn’t blame the warlock for it. Taking his hands off his eyes, he looked at his blue-haired friend, who squeezed his eyes shut in the hopes of the light going away. </p><p>“Wakey, wakey!”, Felix yelled and sprinted to bed, so he could flop onto Jisung and Minho without fear, making them both effectively wake up and groan in pain. “Why am I related to you?”, Minho hissed. “You love me, hyung”, the ginger mused. “Get off me! I am dying here!”, Jisung choked out, now being trapped underneath two cat hybrids. </p><p>Changbin had to contain his laughter when Felix got up from the bed and quickly hide behind him while Minho and Jisung sat up, glaring at the ginger. They looked like they were ready to murder Felix. </p><p>“Some day you will pay for this, Felix”, Jisung swore, making Felix giggle. “I wouldn’t even think about revenge since you will need my consent to marry my brother”, the ginger countered and when Jisung blushed madly while Minho avoided everyone’s eyes Changbin couldn’t keep himself from laughing anymore. It earned him some confused looks from his friends but Felix joined him soon enough. </p><p>“Stop laughing, will ya!”, Jisung protested and threw his pillow at Changbin, only hitting the vampire’s chest weakly due his bad aim. </p><p>“I’m sorry Jisung but your face was just too good”, the black-haired male responded after he had calmed down. The warlock only huffed and crossed his arms, probably trying to get the blush that was still tinting his cheeks pink under control. </p><p>“The more important thing is what Changbin-hyung wants to tell us”, Felix chimed in while looking at the older male. This statement also let Minho’s and Jisung’s attention shift towards the vampire.  Changbin cleared his throat and folded his hand behind his back. </p><p>“Well, we will start to train soon to improve our fighting skills”, Changbin told them, with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I will maybe even get Taeyong-ssi to let Byungho-hyung, Seungmin, Jeongin and Hyunjin join the training”, the vampire added.</p><p>Felix let out a little excited gasp. “That would be so great! Especially when the younger members of NCT join it too! It would be like school just more fun and without tests and exams”, the cat hybrid said excitedly while jumping around being the little ball of sunshine he always had been. Seeing Felix like this let Changbin almost forget what the other was put through just last week. </p><p>“Training with some experienced warlocks is surely something I won’t say no to”, Jisung chuckled. Changbin smiled at that but then his attention shifted to Minho, who hadn’t said a word yet. </p><p>“Don’t look at me like that. I would take any opportunity to beat your vampire ass”, the older said with smirk on his face. “Try me”, Changbin snorted. He had never fought against Minho in a trainings fight even though he could have in the past, so it would be an interesting thing to do when they had time. </p><p>“Alright then, get ready while I go back to let Taeyong know you like the idea”, the vampire then added for everyone. “Aye aye”, Felix said with humor and saluted before sprinting to one of the two closets in the room where they got their cloths stored away. </p><p>When Jae had gotten the book of vampires for Changbin he also got cloths for him and Jisung while the Lee brothers had gone to the home in Yellow Wood accompanied by Doyoung and Kun to get some stuff they needed. Sadly their most important things burn down with the clan houses of the Sky clan. </p><p>Changbin pushed the bad thoughts that were creeping back into his mind away and just let himself chuckle at Felix’s funny antics before walking to the door. “Don’t take too long”, the vampire called over his shoulder before leaving the room and heading back to the meeting room to get further information on the training schedule from Taeyong and probably Johnny.</p>
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<a name="section0046"><h2>46. Let the training begin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hyunjin, Jeongin, Seungmin and Byungho are on their way to get to the NCT headquarter for training.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hyung hurry up!”, Jeongin urged his cousin, standing in his room’s doorframe while jumping up and down like an excited child. It was a wonder he didn’t hit his head with his high jumps. </p><p>“Don’t stress me. I can’t use magic to pack my things, remember?”, Hyunjin sassed stuffing a fresh, white T-shirt into his bag along with a pair of sport shoes. “You are still taking forever to pack your things. We are literally just training with the hyungs. Well minus Chan-hyung”, the kitsune retorted and stopped his jumping so he could cross his arms over his chest and pretend to be mad at the siren. </p><p>Hyunjin rolled his eyes before he stood up from his crouching position, draping his bag over his shoulder and joining Jeongin. “As happy as I am to have the majority of our friends back, it’s still a little scary that Felix’s and Minho-hyung’s parents as well as Changbin-hyung’s parents send them to NCT because they were safer with them here in Yellow Wood”, the siren said shuddering a bit when he walked beside his younger cousin to the kitchen, where two bottles of water were waiting for them. </p><p>Jeongin was quiet for a little while, seemingly thinking but before Hyunjin could ask what he was thinking about the blond opened his mouth again. “As long as they are safe and well I don’t care”, the kitsune stated, grabbing his water bottle from the counter and stuffing it into little pocket on his backpack’s side, where it was sticking out a little. The siren silently agreed with that statement while putting the water bottle into his bag.</p><p>A smirk formed on the older’s lips when a special thought crossed his mind. “By the way, Innie”, he mused, just getting a hum as response because the young kitsune was already in the hallway, putting his shoes on. “I bet you are excited to see Felix again. It has been a while since you have last seen him”, the siren said, trying to sound like he was simply saying that without much thought but he couldn’t hide the teasing undertone and of course the younger picked up on that.</p><p>The blond turned his attention away from his shoes and back to his cousin, who was now putting on his coat while acting casual. “Well, hyung I am but I think that you too will be excited to see a certain someone”, the kitsune answered while finishing putting his shoes on with no special expression on his face. </p><p>Hyunjin froze for a minute, praying that Jeongin was just messing with him. There was no way Jeongin could have figured out how Hyunjin was slowly developing crushes on both Changbin an Seungmin. Hyunjin quickly shook that thought off. He wasn’t even sure if he started to like Changbin and Seungmin in a romantic way, so why would Jeongin know. He wasn’t a siren after all. </p><p>“I don’t know what you mean, Innie. I am just happy that we can hang out with most of our close friends. There is no certain someone”, the siren responded, slipping into his shoes easily and picking up his bag from the floor. He wasn’t looking at Jeongin in hopes of not showing what he was really thinking.  </p><p>“There sure is”, the kitsune mused putting on his jacket while keeping a straight face. “There is not”, Hyunjin huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Jeongin only snickered, making Hyunjin glare a little at him. The younger said nothing though, just raised his hands in surrender while a knowing smile was plastered on his face, which was enough to tell Hyunjin that the other had confirmed what he had wanted to know. </p><p>“We should get going before Auntie comes back and changes her mind about us going outside”, the kitsune then changed the topic. Hyunjin’s mother had been a bit unsure about agreeing to the idea of letting her son and nephew train with NCT when the two young males proposed the idea to her after hearing it from Changbin yesterday. In the end she agreed because she thought it was better than keeping them both at home at all time. </p><p>“She did say she thought it was a good idea to start effectively training our abilities so I don’t think she would go back on her word”, Hyunjin responded, looking at Jeongin. “Let’s not take that risk”, Jeongin huffed, walking to the apartment door with the older following him. Hyunjin couldn’t disagree and closed and locked the door behind him when they left the apartment. </p><p>The two walked on the streets of Yellow Wood like they always have since they didn’t seem like anything supernatural at the first glance. Jeongin’s actually natural blond hair could be dyed for all the humans knew and Hyunjin was just a natural beauty. </p><p>It was still a little bit strange for them to see so many humans or at least so many people that didn’t look like they were something supernatural. They also noticed that some humans (the two could tell they were humans because of their especially odd behavior towards them) gave them a lot of seemingly special attention. </p><p>If you believed Jeongin, who could hear as well as a fox if he wanted, a lot of people started to talk about them when they walked by. For example, most of them always discussed if Jeongin and Hyunjin were some sort of idol because they were both so good looking. This didn’t bother the two that much since it was a kind of compliment after all.  </p><p>—————————</p><p>Jeongin began using his good hearing sense almost automatically when they stepped onto the rather busy Main Street of Yellow Wood. Normally Hyunjin and Jeongin would avoid the Main Street but to get to the NCT headquarter it was necessary to walk some meters on this always busy road if they wanted to avoid strange alleys. </p><p>Hyunjin was looking at his phone to check their current location again while Jeongin listened to his surroundings, trying to figure out if they were safe here or not. The young kitsune heard some girls giggle and a lot of other conversations. It was almost impossible to hear anything special or concentrate on one conversation in this mess of voices and noises. </p><p>The younger huffed in frustration, which gained him the attention of his cousin. “Is something wrong?”, the siren asked sounding a bit worried, looking up from his phone to face the young kitsune beside him. “It’s a bit loud here”, Jeongin answered, which sounded normal to someone who was listening into their conversation but for Hyunjin it basically meant: “It’s too loud. My fox hearing is useless here”. </p><p>The older wanted to seemingly say something because he attempted to open his mouth but closed it when a female voice spoke up from behind the two young males. “Excuse me?”, the voice asked, letting both Jeongin and Hyunjin turn around. Not far behind them stood a girl with dark hair and a bright smile on her face that didn’t really reach her dark eyes. It was strange to Jeongin letting get a bit suspicious of the girl. </p><p>The kitsune noticed, even with the many people that were walking past them, that this girl didn’t really have a specific scent. It was odd but maybe even the kitsune‘s nose had trouble picking out one single scent in this mass of people, which were walking down the Main Street. But the next thing the blond noticed seemed a bit more important. It was the violet crystal, which was dangling around the girl’s neck. </p><p>It was a strange crystal. Not by it’s looks of course, since it seemed like a normal necklace charm but it had a rather weird aura surrounding it. At least that was what Jeongin felt but he could be mistaken. </p><p>The kitsune was ripped out of his thoughts when the girl continued to speak. “I think you lost this”, the girl said holding up a water bottle. To be more specific, Jeongin’s water bottle, which must have fallen out of his backpack. </p><p>“Oh. Thank you very much. It must have fallen out of my bag”, Jeongin thanked the girl politely, taking the bottle out of her hand and casually stuffing it into Hyunjin’s bag because the kitsune didn’t want to take off his backpack right now. The siren looked a bit at the blond with a bit of confusion because of that but he said nothing. </p><p>“It’s no problem”, the girl responded, waving it off while still smiling with her eyes seemingly holding no emotions. Jeongin returned the strange smile but it pretty soon dropped from his lips when he noticed the little flash of a phone camera behind the girl. </p><p>Why was this important? Well, if you take a picture of a kitsune with a flash you are able to see the fox spirit’s true eyes. And they really weren’t pretty. At least to humans. </p><p>The person, who seemingly took the picture of Jeongin and Hyunjin was another girl with dark brown hair and dark eyes but she was rather short. Still, the thing Jeongin immediately noticed was the green crystal, which was dangling from her right wrist. It looked like the violet one from the tall girl just in a different color and a slightly different shape. </p><p>“Is that your friend?”, Jeongin asked the girl with the violet crystal, nodding towards the other short girl. The tall girl looked over her shoulder to the short one, who took the photo and then nodded, turning her head back to Jeongin and Hyunjin. </p><p>“Yeah, why?”, she asked, sounding almost a bit too innocent for Jeongin’s liking. “I think she just took a photo of me and my friend, so could she please delete that?” the kitsune asked in a sweet tone, obviously using his persuasive side. He hoped it would work without an issue or someone noticing. </p><p>Jeongin could almost feel Hyunjin’s nervousness beside him and it really didn’t make things better at that moment. The siren wasn’t in trouble because of the photo since the pictures of creature, who could breath underwater but lived on land couldn’t reveal who they really were but the right amount of water would make their skin start to glimmer. </p><p>“Why? You are both so handsome I am sure a lot of people secretly snap photos of you”, the tall girl said, lightly tilting his head to the side. Jeongin was a bit irritated because his persuasion didn’t affect the girl just yet. </p><p>“That’s not okay either, so please tell your friend to just delete the photo and we can go our merry ways”, the blond kept up the sweet tone and topped it with an even sweeter smile but he made sure his eyes showed that he was indeed serious. </p><p>Suddenly Jeongin noticed a little wave of energy wash over him, which made him glance at the violet crystal of the tall girl almost automatically. The kitsune thought he saw the crystal glow a little for a short second but he wasn’t sure at all. </p><p>“Alright. I will tell her to delete it now. Sorry about this”, the tall girl then apologized, walking back to her friend. Jeongin as well as Hyunjin heard their little conversations, which ended in the short girl deleting the photo with a pout on her lips. </p><p>“Thanks for understanding”, Hyunjin thanked them loudly, so the girls could hear him while he had one of his prettiest fake smiles on his face. The girls giggled at that but Jeongin didn’t let them interact more. He took his cousin’s hand and dragged him out of the girls’ sight into the next alley he could find. Screw their initial plan to avoid those alleys. </p><p>“We need to get away from the Main Street, now”, the kitsune insisted and Hyunjin didn’t object. The older let himself be dragged somewhere, probably understanding that Jeongin felt a bit threatened now and needed to get away from the “dangerous” zone.</p><p>Jeongin couldn’t help but feel nervous and a little afraid. This encounter with the human girls had been a very close call and for someone reason non of the kitsune’s strategies had worked. The tall girl with the violet crystal seemed to have been immune to his powers. He couldn’t convince her to do anything until the very last moment. </p><p>Suddenly the kitsune was pulled back by his cousin just halting. Jeongin let his head snap around to face the siren. Hyunjin looked worried, which covered the fear he must be feeling too. </p><p>“We are far enough away from the Main Street, Innie”, Hyunjin said softly. Jeongin reminded himself of that and glanced around for a short moment. They were alone in one of the smaller streets of Yellow Wood. Nobody was here at the moment so for now they were safe here. </p><p>The blond took a breath to calm himself down. “I know”, the younger mumbled, releasing the breath. “I just got scared a little”, he added, looking at the ground. “You still reacted very professional while I stood at the side being useless”, Hyunjin lightly laughed. Jeongin mirrored his cousin’s light laugh and looked up again. “I guess you are right”, he agreed, showing just a bit of a smile. </p><p>“But now let’s get to the NCT headquarter so I can teleport us there next time”, the kitsune continued, earning a nod from his cousin. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>Seungmin was a ball of energy and Byungho couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. Ever since the redhead had been to the NCT headquarter he was working on a lot of different things. For example was he researching a lot about hunters and even more about magic along with Wonpil.</p><p>Luckily Byungho knew why the young redhead was so even more eager to learn and study all sorts of things since Wonpil was kind enough to fill him and Woosu in on what was happening at the NCT headquarter and what was going on in general. The only one left in the dark was Samuel since everyone felt the need to protect the youngest and if that meant not weighting his mind down with the frightening knowledge of hunters attacking and kidnapping supernatural creatures then there was no place to argue for them. Of course they still told him some things, so he wouldn’t feel left out but the majority of the terrifying information just weren’t mentioned when the young siren was in the room. </p><p>Currently all five Kim brothers were gathered in Byungho’s room. Wonpil, Seungmin and Byungho were preparing to go to the NCT headquarter to train with not only the NCT members but also Byungho’s and Seungmin’s close friends. It had a bit of a bittersweet taste for Byungho since he would see all of his friends together again but not his precious boyfriend. </p><p>“It’s so unfair you get to train with NCT”, Samuel complained while rolling around on Byungho’s bed. “It is, especially when we have to help you sneak out”, Woosu added, crossing his arms over his chest looking at his three brothers, who were almost ready to climb out of the window. Byungho felt a bit bad for the warlock since he really was doing them a big favor by helping, especially because Woosu also needed to get his mother of his back. </p><p>“We will make it up to you. Don’t worry”, Seungmin almost beamed and it made Woosu pout a little. “I want to met the amazing warlocks too, you know”, the warlock with the white hair mumbled, walking over to Byungho’s bed and just flopping down onto it, barely missing Samuel. The young siren made a little complaining noise but didn’t say anything. </p><p>“Don’t worry, hyung. I will organize a meeting with them for you if that’s possible”, Seungmin replied to the warlock, grinning a bit at the other. Woosu just huffed and looked away from the redhead like an mad toddler, making Byungho as well as Wonpil, who stood by the window, chuckle. </p><p>“You really are excited to meet Yuta and Winwin, huh?”, Wonpil asked with a little bit of an mocking undertone. Seungmin nodded frantically, ignoring the mocking undertone completely even though Byungho was sure he had heard it. “Absolutely. They are pure geniuses just for setting up the spells surrounding the NCT headquarter”, the young demon almost squealed. </p><p>“Just get going, would you?”, Woosu huffed, still pouting. “Sorry, Woosu”, Wonpil apologized, walking over to Byungho’s bed to ruffle through the young warlock’s white hair. The younger male didn’t duck away and the ghost of a smile was seen on his face. </p><p>“We will be sure to be back on time, so you don’t have to keep up the illusion spell that long”, the oldest of the Kim brothers reassured. “You better be”, Woosu muttered, being back to pretending to be mad. </p><p>“We really owe you”, Byungho stated while smiling warmly at the warlock. Woosu’s eyes fell on Byungho in less than a second. “You really do”, the warlock answered and mirrored the older’s smile but it resembled more a light grin. </p><p>“Alright. I got everything. We can go”, Seungmin said, checking his bag again. Byungho had stopped counting how many times Seungmin had checked his bag. It made him almost nervous that he forgot something. </p><p>“Let’s go then”, Wonpil said, shouldering his backpack and walking to the window after ruffling Samuel’s hair, letting the youngest giggle. The older demon jumped out of the window with an ease while being surrounded by special spells, which kept him hidden from even his father’s eyes. </p><p>Seungmin and Byungho followed their older brother after saying goodbye to Woosu and Samuel. They also were surrounded by a certain spell, which made them undetectable to even their parents. </p><p>The trick to get out of the mansion without being seen was fairly simple in the Kim brothers’ opinion since you just needed to combine five types of spells. An invisibility spell, a black magic spell which gave you the ability to go through barriers without being harmed while also staying undetected (it was Seungmin’s and Wonpil’s part to cast it), a barrier spell, a speed spell and an high class illusion spell. </p><p>This was very hard for a ordinary magic user but of course the Kim brothers found little difficulty in using these spells at the same time. This plan just always required a magic user and a siren to stay back because the magic user had to keep up to the high class illusion, which showed the room being filled with all five Kim brothers and Samuel had to use his voice to let whoever entered think, that all of them were really there by imitating all of their voices. </p><p>This ability of Samuel was special even among sirens since it required a lot of training but somehow Samuel kind of just had this ability from the very start. Seungmin had already voiced his theory of this ability being activated from the start because of the demonic blood, which was running even through the youngest Kim brother’s veins. But it did come in very handy for Seungmin’s “escape” plan, which did work perfectly until now. No one of the parents seemed to have notice it. Not even Eve, who was the greatest danger because she was quite observant when it came to the five Kim brothers’ behavior. </p><p>It had been quite hard for Byungho to keep this thing a secret from his mother but he managed with the help of his brothers. Besides she still didn’t know that he went out to say goodbye to Chan a little less than two weeks ago but in all honesty he could only keep that secret because nobody asked about it. </p><p>Byungho, Wonpil and Seungmin left the mansion’s ground rather quickly thanks to their speed spell. They kept up their spells until they reached a safe place near the NCT headquarter, where they could resolve all the spells without being spotted by anyone. </p><p>“This worked well”, Byungho signed when he checked the surroundings again just to make sure nobody saw them. Seungmin rolled his eyes a little. “Of course it did, hyung. It was my plan after all”, the young demon said, lightly punching the older’s shoulder. “Excuse me for questioning your brilliance, Seungmin”, Byungho replied almost ironically. </p><p>“Come on now”, Wonpil said with a little smile on his lips before taking the lead again. “Looks like Wonpil-hyung wants to get to training quickly”, Seungmin mumbled, so only Byungho could hear him. The younger’s tone was obviously hinting that Wonpil wanted to get to a certain someone as fast as possible, which made Byungho chuckle a little. He could understand the older though since he wouldn’t be any different if Chan would be at the headquarter. </p><p>The two followed Wonpil into the NCT building, where they found themselves in the lobby with the four elevator doors. Byungho couldn’t help but look around a little. The lobby seemed painfully normal and he couldn’t feel any magic around here.</p><p>“Where is this door?”, the redhead asked out loud, letting Byungho’s attention wander to the young redhead. Seungmin stood at the very end of the lobby, letting his hands trail over the smooth surface of the wall like he was searching for something. </p><p>“Maybe we need to wait for someone to get us”, Wonpil voiced his thoughts, joining Seungmin’s side. Byungho on the other hand looked around a little more, noticing the four names written above the elevator doors. </p><p>“Maybe it has something to do with the names?”, the brunette suggested, looking back to his two brothers. Both just shook their head. “I guess those names are just some kind of symbol” Seungmin said, while still letting his hands wander over the surface of the wall. </p><p>Suddenly a door right in front of Seungmin and Wonpil was opened, letting both redheads instinctively jump back. In the door stood Jeongin along with Hyunjin. Both of their faces lit up when they saw the three Kim brothers.</p><p>“Byungho-hyung”, Jeongin immediately greeted the older and ran up to him for a hug, which he received. Byungho couldn’t help but smile when he hugged the younger blond. He really missed hugging his friends as a greeting. </p><p>In the corner of his eyes Byungho saw Hyunjin running up to Seungmin almost immediately. He almost swept the other off his feet with his hug, getting a surprised noise out of the redhead.  </p><p>“I missed this so much”, the siren stated while hugging Seungmin close. Byungho swore he had seen Seungmin smile a little brighter but he wasn’t sure. </p><p>Of course after Byungho had let go of Jeongin, Hyunjin also greeted him with a little hug while Jeongin did the same with Seungmin. Wonpil was greeted rather politely by the two, which made the older smile a little. He maybe also told Seungmin and Byungho with his demon voice that this was very cute. </p><p>“Heartwarming greeting. Really. Ten out of ten would recommend”, a rather familiar voice teased after the greetings were over. The group turned towards the voice to see Jae from Wonpil’s group and Kun, the second in command of NCT. Jae had a little smirk on his lips while Kun seemed more or less professional but also nice with the light smile tugging at the corners of his lips. </p><p>“Stop teasing them, will you”, Wonpil said, walking up to his blond friend to playfully punch his shoulder. “Rude. I am still your hyung, brat”, the blond huffed, making almost everyone laugh a little. </p><p>“Well I am greeting everyone present. For the ones, who don’t know me. I am Qian Kun, NCT’s second in command and I will take you to our training halls every day since the NCT headquarter can only be entered, when the door is opened from the inside or if you are in possession of the NCT group symbol. But enough said. Please follow me to the training halls”, Kun said, in a very professional tone but you couldn’t say it didn’t suit him. </p><p>The group followed NCT’s second in command through the door, Seungmin seemingly had previously tried to search. Jeongin and Hyunjin were pretty awestruck when they entered the actual Headquarter, which indicated that they haven’t arrived long ago. Byungho got why especially Jeongin seemed amazed. This place was oozing with magical energy. Seungmin had been right of the warlocks here being geniuses. </p><p>———————— </p><p>Kun lead the group down the hallway on the ground floor to one rather large door, where he stopped. “For some the training already began so be careful you don’t get hit by anything”, Kun warned with humor in his voice and opened the door. </p><p>You could immediately hear shouts, heavy things getting thrown, the squeaking of shoes along with the scratching noise of claws on the smooth surface of the hall’s floor. It also smelled like something got burned and there was a lot of magic in the air. </p><p>“I swear to the gods Jaehyun. If you burn down this damn puppet again will rip out your scaly tail”, you could hear someone shout from above, which turned the group’s attention upwards where a Demi-dragon, probably called Jaehyun, was laughing while flying away from a rather angry warlock with purple hair, who was hovering in midair. </p><p>“The changing rooms are right there”, Kun said, getting back the group’s attention. He pointed at a door not far from them on the right wall of the hall. </p><p>Seungmin scanned the hall one more time before walking with the rest of the group to the changing room. Jae stayed with Kun in the hall while the rest changed their coat, boots and everyday cloths for trainers, sport shorts and T-shirts fitted for physical exercise. </p><p>“I can’t wait for this training”, Jeongin said when they walked out of the changing room again but the kitsune’s attention soon laid itself onto a certain cat hybrid with ginger hair, who stood at the entrance of the hall along with three other familiar faces. </p><p>“Felix-hyung!”, Jeongin called out and sprinted towards the ginger. The cat hybrid was a little confused when he turned around and was almost knocked over by the younger’s sudden hug. Seungmin, Hyunjin and Byungho followed Jeongin to their four friends. Hyunjin immediately hugged Changbin while Byungho greeted Minho and Jisung playful tussled through Seungmin’s hair, making the redhead protest. </p><p>“It’s good to see all of you again. Even though this would be even greater if Chan-hyung was here too”, Felix said after Jeongin released him and he had the chance to also greet Hyunjin, Byungho and Seungmin. Everyone of the friends agreed on that. </p><p>“It’s just a reason to give our best so we can show him what we have learned as soon as we see him again”, Jeongin said with a bright smile. “Innie is absolutely right”, Felix agreed putting his arm around the kitsune’s shoulders while mirroring the younger’s bright smile. </p><p>“Listen up everyone. Could you gather here, please”, Kun raised his voice which let everyone in the hall stop what they were currently doing and go to the brown-haired werwolf. “We will start training in groups, which will be switched and changed from time to time, so we can cover various techniques and fighting styles more quickly”, he explained, making everyone nod in agreement or agree verbally. </p><p>“Good. We will begin with sorting the groups depending on the primary fighting style. Meaning werewolves and hybrids will train with me. Magic users with Yuta and Creatures with natural abilities with Doyoung and Ten”, Kun said, gesturing to Yuta, Doyoung and Ten, who joined their second leader’s side after he mentioned them. </p><p>Seungmin had to refer from bouncing up and down when he heard that he could train with Yuta. One of the magical geniuses of NCT. This day couldn’t get better. </p><p>“With that said. Let’s begin the training”, the werewolf concluded.</p>
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<a name="section0047"><h2>47. Dark and light waters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Th future plans of the hunters are revealed and Hyunjin trains with Mark, Jungwoo and Lucas.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zendala sat behind a very large desk, which was covered by a very big map. The woman stared at the map, seemingly thinking about something. She didn’t even register that the door of her office was opened by Reinhard until the hunter with the red crystal spoke up. </p><p>“Everyone wants to take action, Zendala”, he said with no emotion in his voice while his eyes focused on the fable warlock in front of him. “I know that but the right time hasn’t come yet”, the woman answered not looking up from the map. She scanned over it multiple times still thinking. </p><p>Reinhard narrowed his eyes at her, looking displeased. “We haven’t attacked anyone in one month. We haven’t even touch the moon pack like we had planed”, Reinhard argued, slowly having a bit of irritation in his voice but the hunter’s face remained unmoved. </p><p>“Yes, because three vampiric royal guards got away. It is too risky to attack the moon pack. They might have been warned but you know that because you aren’t stupid, so why argue about it again”, Zendala responded still not looking at the hunter with the red crystal. She let the fingers of her right hand lightly drum against the surface of the desk while she continued to memorize every little detail of the map. </p><p>“Every little supernatural creature is now hidden and on guard because we gave them the time to do so. We won over the vampire palace because they weren’t prepared but still lost some good men. Now everyone is eager to do something but you keep them waiting”, the hunter said, crossing his arms over his chest. Zendala slowly looked up to meet Reinhard’s eyes. Her sky blue eyes alway had something mysterious in them but most of the time it made them unreadable. </p><p>“Why are you coming with this topic to me again? We have already talked it over and agreed on waiting to let your hunters heal, so what do you really want, Reinhard”, the woman hissed, narrowing her eyes at the man. They sparkled with irritation and a badly hidden threat.</p><p>Reinhard was unfazed but that and simply took out his phone, tapping on the display a few times before putting the device onto Zendala’s desk. The female warlock raised and eyebrow but looked at the device anyway. It showed a picture of two boys. Both were rather young, very handsome, one with black hair and one with blond but something was wrong with the blond boy’s eyes. They glowed in a weird orange tone and seemed to pierce through someone’s soul. </p><p>“My niece Lilian and her hunter friends have been snooping around her hometown, Yellow Wood a lot the last weeks. If you believe Lilian she only wants to find a class ten male winged beast she believes to be an angel-demon mixed blood but there is no evidence for that. Still she has been investigating a lot of people to reach her goal. Most of the people she talked with were in her age and she came across those two very special ones”, the hunter explained and gestured to the phone with the picture of the two boys. </p><p>Zendala slowly showed a smile. “Well look at this”, she mused and took the phone into her hand to get a better look at the picture of the blond boy with the strange eyes. “I haven’t seen a pure blood kitsune in twenty years and by the looks of it the other boy is also some kind of supernatural creature”, Zendala said, grinning. she put the phone back onto her desk, focusing her attention on Reinhard. </p><p>“When was this picture taken?”, she asked Reinhard. “Three weeks ago. My niece hasn’t really seen those two ever since, which was why the topic of the two only came to my attention now. Apparently they took cover or something like that”, the hunter answered. </p><p>The blue-haired woman nodded, almost looking a bit disappointed when she handed Reinhard his phone. “But that wasn’t it, right?”, she questioned and leaned back a little. She looked directly into Reinhard’s eyes like she was trying to read him. </p><p>“Yes. According to my niece it’s every hard to decipher supernatural creature from humans without using special tricks but over the course of her research she has created a theory that the supernatural creatures began training and preparing to fight against us”, Reinhard explained while stuffing his phone back into a pocket of his pants. Zendala raised an eyebrow. “Why would she think they started training?”, she asked, folding her hands on her lap. </p><p>“My niece is a very cunning young huntress. She observed that there are a lot of young supernatural creatures on the streets of Yellow Wood. We know, thanks to you, that some of the most dangerous groups, packs, organizations and clans have their headquarter in Yellow Wood and she concluded that those experienced and older supernatural beings might train the younger ones somewhere. This would also explain why a sly creature like a kitsune would walk on one of Yellow Wood’s busiest streets in bright day light”, Reinhard told the blue-haired woman. </p><p>“So your point is we should hunt down all supernatural creatures as soon as possible, so they can’t even get strong enough to fight back. That was the reason for bringing up our delayed plans?”, Zendala concluded, looking attentively at the hunter in front of her desk. </p><p>“Yes”, Reinhard answered, folding his hands behind his back. He was looking at Zendala with a certain intensity in his eyes. “Let’s wait with our plans for the moon pack and decapitate the vampire king and queen now and officially declare war. Let’s make it public that there are monsters living among us and that they even took a innocent human captive to torture her”, the hunter said. Zendala’s sky blue eyes scanned over Reinhard’s masked face until her gaze rested on the hunter’s eyes once more. </p><p>“Are your hunters ready for a war?”, she asked with an emotionless voice, her eyes void of sympathy or guilt. “They always have been. Injured or not. Besides I’m sure when the public knows what has been living beside them there will surely be a lot of people, who want to join our side”, Reinhard answered. The hunter showed no emotion in his eyes, just cold, calculating madness. </p><p>“You want to use Emily for propaganda?”, Zendala questioned, slowly standing up from her seat and resting her hands on top of the cold surface of her desk. “She would want it this way and maybe it can even benefit her rescue”, the hunter answered, not hesitating. </p><p>“Alright but we won’t focus on just one thing. You and I along with a selected few of your hunters will go through with the decapitation of the vampire rulers and the war declaration while your blood thirstiest hunters are send to the Moon pack. Let them take the Alpha and his mate, some werwolves and wolf hybrids for experiments and kill the rest”, Zendala instructed walked around her desk to Reinhard’s side. The hunter gave her a short nod. </p><p>“For now I will prepare a public decapitation while you organize the attack on the moon pack. I will let you know when you can join my side again”, she added. “Now you are my queen again”, Reinhard said and you could almost hear the malicious smile that he must have on his hidden face. </p><p>“I always have been your queen, Reinhard”, Zendala responded and send a sickeningly sweet smile into the direction of Reinhard. “Of course”, the hunter replied before he turned and left the room. Zendala’s smile dropped from her face when Reinhard was out of the room. </p><p>“Never anger a queen, my dear Reinhard or you might feel her rage”, the blue-haired woman said to none in particular before she walked out of the room as well.   </p><p>————————</p><p>“I’m super excited for this extra lesson, Mark-hyung”, Hyunjin beamed while walking beside the other siren, gripping a bit more tightly onto the straps of his bag out of pure excitement. he still couldn’t believe he got to train with another siren, who had a lot more experience than he did.</p><p>“Hopefully I can teach you something Doyoung- hyung didn’t already”, Mark joked a little. “Well even though Doyoung-hyung is a great teacher, he is not a siren”, Hyunjin chuckled. “That’s true”, the older male replied and paused a short moment, seemingly thinking about something. “Oh, by the way Jungwoo will maybe join us. This morning he said he wanted to go for a swim later today”, he then added. </p><p>Hyunjin’s eyes lit up even more when Jungwoo was mentioned since he really wanted to spend more time with the merman. He had only briefly met him while training but it was enough to want to get to know the other better. Besides Hyunjin was really interested to learn more about mermen and mermaids since they were similar to sirens in some ways. </p><p>“This would be so cool. I have always wanted to learn a bit more about mermen and mermaids and I have never seen transformed before but that’s beside the point. Jungwoo-hyung seems like someone I want to get to know”, the young siren marveled. Mark laughed at the younger males excitement. </p><p>“First off the transformation of a merman is not even that special, so don’t be too disappointed but I do get that you want to get to know Jungwoo”, the older of the two chuckled. “We will see if I think the transformation of a merman is nothing special or not”, Hyunjin giggled. </p><p>The two sirens reached the indoor swimming pool of the NCT headquarter not long after this little conversation. Mark opened the door and revealed a beautiful, grotto-like room. Hyunjin looked around in awe when he walked further into the room. His nose was filled with the smell of wet stones and his ears heard the regular dripping of water. It was calming to him and made him feel welcomed. </p><p>“It’s so beautiful here”, Hyunjin commented, closing his eyes for a brief moment and inhaling the scent of the grotto. Mark chuckled but it soon turned into a rather fond, small smile. The black eyes of the older siren glimmered with a certain warmth like he just remembered a memory he treasured. </p><p>“Yeah the grotto is beautiful. Taeil-hyung, Taeyong-hyung, Yuta-hyung and Sicheng-hyung created this place shortly after I moved into the NCT headquarter. They wanted me to feel safe, welcomed and at home”, the older told Hyunjin. The younger siren turned his head towards Mark and looked at the other, who just looked at the water with nothing but fondness in his eyes. </p><p>“Until this day I don’t know how to repay them for this”, he lightly laughed but Hyunjin could tell he wasn’t just talking about the grotto. NCT must really be like a family to Mark. It reminded Hyunjin a bit of the lesson with Mr. Kim about groups and what they meant to some people. </p><p>“I think you don’t need to think about ever repaying them, hyung. As far as I can tell you are like family to them. They just want to keep you safe and happy. That was probably also the case back then”, Hyunjin said, smiling brightly. Mark looked a little surprised at him but then mirrored his smile. </p><p>“Well said”, the older siren commented. Mark looked back at the grotto fro a moment and took a breath, collecting himself. The smile on his lips grew a bit wider, getting a bit playful and a lot more happy. He turned to Hyunjin shortly after that. </p><p>“We should get changed before he grow roots here” the older siren joked, still smiling. Hyunjin nodded in agreement and let Mark lead the way again. The door to the changing room was almost invisible since it’s dark color and uneven surface let it blend in with the rough stone walls of the grotto. </p><p>The two sirens changed into their swimming trunks rather quickly since they both just wanted to jump into the water. “Whose faster in the water!”, Hyunjin yelled shortly after he had changed. Without hesitating the siren was sprinting to the water, ignoring that he almost slipped before even exiting the changing room. Mark shouted a “That’s unfair” after him but there was nothing but amusement in the older’s voice. </p><p>Hyunjin let out a happy laugh before diving into the water without hesitation. The young siren enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by water with closed eyes. He felt how the little bit of pressure the water had on him slowly disappeared. A giggled escaped his lips when he felt the tingling sensation of his fins forming on his legs, back and arms. His lungs slowly combined with his gills, which were visible as little slits on the sides of his neck. </p><p>The young siren finally opened his eyes, looking around in the water, which seemed as clear to him as the world above the surface. The pool was pretty deep as Hyunjin noticed. The bottom was around five meters under him, giving the young siren plenty of room to swim around. </p><p>Hyunjin brought his hand up to look at it to check if his body was already finished with transforming. The young siren could mentally confirm that his transformation had ended when he saw the light blue webs between each of his fingers. His nails had changed too. They became a bit pointier as well as sharper and could easily be used as weapons but this thought had never crossed Hyunjin’s mind until now. </p><p>“What are you thinking about?”, the young siren suddenly heard Mark’s voice echo through the water. Hyunjin turned his head in search for the older and spotted him not far from him. The young siren was slightly impressed by the older male’s siren form.</p><p>Mark’s skin glimmered in a beautiful light red tone but the red fins on his arms, legs and back had a much more intense red color. The webs between the other’s fingers mirrored the color of the skin even though they stood out a bit more. Mark’s hair also changed it’s color to scarlet red finishing off the red color scheme.</p><p>“Nothing important, hyung”, Hyunjin answered the question a bit late, making the other laugh a little. It sounded like a vivid melody underwater. “Impressed by my siren form?”, he simply asked, earning a nod from Hyunjin. “You don’t look so bad yourself”, he teased but the younger could tell he meant the little compliment. </p><p>Hyunjin was stunning, even for a siren. His skin glimmered in light blue while the fins on his legs, arms and back had a more intense light blue color. Flat, smooth, light blue scales lingered on Hyunjin’s cheekbones and sides, which glimmered in the dim light that was filtering through the water. The scales on the young siren’s cheekbones highlighted his perfect facial features while the scales on his sides, which diagonally painted themselves towards the siren’s stomach seemed to just hug Hyunjin’s rather thin but defined stature. But the most remarkable thing about Hyunjin’s siren form were his eyes, which shimmered in a beautiful ocean blue. They seemed so playful and endearing there was no way you wouldn’t fall for him in seconds. To put it more simple the young siren looked breathtaking even for his species. </p><p>“Shall we start training?”, Mark asked after a short silence with a smile on his lips. Hyunjin eagerly nodded, making the older smile again. “Alright. You probably had enough of vocal training with Doyoung-hyung. He is an expert at that, so I will just show you some siren tricks for underwater fighting and then you can ask me whatever you want”, the older suggested and the younger nodded along. </p><p>Fighting underwater was more like dancing for sirens. Their movements were so graceful and yet powerful it was simply mesmerizing for anyone you watched them. If anyone would have seen Mark and Hyunjin train some of the siren specific fighting techniques underwater they would have just watched them thinking it was a dance choreography of some sort. It was just the way a siren swam around their opponent swiftly to land perfectly placed hits that reminded so many people of dancing. </p><p>Hyunjin enjoyed learning these techniques from Mark since he barely knew anything about the siren’s fighting style. His mother never taught him underwater specific things for sirens after all but he still managed to learn the techniques Mark showed him very fast. </p><p>“You are good”, Mark complimented the younger after he had managed to perfect the second technique the older had shown Hyunjin. A wide and proud smile drew itself onto Hyunjin’s lips in an instant. He wanted to politely thank the older for teaching him the technique so well but they were interrupted by a rather loud splash. </p><p>Both sirens turned around looking towards the sound only to see Jungwoo and Yukhei. Hyunjin gasped when he saw how Jungwoo transformed from his human to his merman form. The rather big fish tail was glimmering in a beautiful pink color but still managed to look very powerful, at least in Hyunjin’s opinion. Still the question where the merman’s swimming trunks were now remained. </p><p>“Sorry we joined you so late”, Jungwoo excused himself as well as Yukhei as soon as he had his gills. The merman swam gracefully towards the two sirens while dragging Yukhei along, whose nymph form didn’t really differ from his human form. His skin just glimmered a bit and his eyes shined in a silver color, which looked not much different from his normal grey eyes. </p><p>“Don’t worry about it, hyung”, Mark laughed. Jungwoo looked almost relieved before his gaze fixed itself onto Hyunjin. “Nice to meet you again, Hyunjin”, he greeted the young siren with a sweet smile. “Likewise”, Hyunjin beamed. he really couldn’t wait to spend some time with Jungwoo and Mark underwater. It just felt so different from being above water. </p><p>“Does nobody care that I am here too? I feel offended”, Yukhei chimed in, putting his hand on his chest unnecessarily dramatic. The three other males laughed at the nymph’s antics. “Anyway. I’m Yukhei but most people call me Lucas”, the brunette nymph introduced himself to Hyunjin. “Nice to meet you”, the young siren said smiling wide. </p><p>“Why has Byungho such cute friends and never introduced me to any of them”, Jungwoo huffed, earning a confused look from the two sirens. The merman laughed a little at their puzzles looks. </p><p>“I’m friends with Byungho since we were little. We were really close but lost each other in our middle school time and it didn’t get better when I joined NCT but when we realized we went to the same school but were in different classes we got back into touch. Primarily through texts we send to each other from time to time”, the merman explained with a smile, which showed a bit of nostalgia. Hyunjin blinked while processing this information. Had Byungho ever mentioned he was friends with someone of NCT? Did the older ever talk about something personal to him?</p><p>“Byungho-hyung never mentioned you but thinking about it he barely tell us stuff like that... Okay, now I am getting concerned because my brain can barely think of things I know about Byungho-hyung, which he told me personally. Why did I never notice this!”, the young sirens stressed a little, ruffling his hair while the older males only laughed. </p><p>“Don’t worry about that, Hyunjin. Byungho tends to be very quiet and a bit secretive. I probably know not more than you do and I have known him for years but it’s not a bad thing in my opinion”, the merman comforted the stressed siren, patting the younger male’s shoulder. Hyunjin sighed deeply letting some little bubbles float to the surface. </p><p>“Don’t worry, be happy”, Yukhei said out of nowhere in a rather simple English, making Mark and Jungwoo chuckle. “Why are you laughing! This was serious!”, the nymph complained only making his fellow group member laugh harder. The brunette huffed dramatically and crossed his arms over his chest while turning his head away from the group, acting like an pouting child. </p><p>Only now when the nymph had turned his head away, exposing a bit more of his neck to Hyunjin did the young sire noticed that Yukhei didn’t have any kind of gills but he seemed to be breathing just fine even though they were underwater. Still, it was enough to make him curious. </p><p>“How do you breath underwater with no gills?”, Hyunjin asked himself out loud without noticing. Yukhei turned his head towards the young siren with a goofy smile on his lips while the other two laughed again. Hyunjin felt a little bit embarrassed but it wasn’t anything that made him uncomfortable. </p><p>“Good question, my dear student”, the nymph began, acting like he was a professor from a long forgotten time while Jungwoo and Mark couldn’t stop laughing. “You see, nymphs have something called aqua pellis. It’s latin and means water skin. Every nymph is born with this water skin, which helps us talk and breath underwater like every other water creature but beside that it also has an unexplainable, magical factor”, the brunette explained, smirking a little when he paused and saw the pure excitement in Hyunjin’s eyes. </p><p>“This magical factor allows a nymph to help a land creature breath underwater for a specific period of time by transferring a bit of their water skin to the other creature. Of course this doesn’t damage the nymph’s ability to breath and talk underwater but it can have an affect on the one give a part of the water skin if this ability is used too often in a short span of time”, Yukhei continued and Hyunjin looked absolutely amazed by what he was told. In the meantime Mark and Jungwoo had calmed down from their laughing fit and couldn’t help but smile a little at the young siren’s amazement. </p><p>Yukhei wanted to go on but the dulled sound of someone calling out Mark’s name interrupted him, making him look up with a light scowl. Mark looked up to the surface as well. Hyunjin’s followed their gazes only to spot a creature with violet hair hovering over the edge of the pool. </p><p>“That’s Donghyuk”, Mark said before swimming diagonally upwards, so he would reach the edge of the pool faster. Hyunjin followed him and so did Yukhei and Jungwoo. </p><p>The four came face to face with the violet-haired warlock after their heads were above the surface. “What’s wrong?”, Mark asked Donghyuck rather concerned but his worries disappeared when the young warlock just pouted like a child. “I was searching for you because I missed you”, he simply mumbled. </p><p>Hyunjin didn’t understand that, making him look pretty confused while Yukhei and Jungwoo broke out into laughter, which bounced off the walls of the grotto-like room. They couldn’t laugh very long though because Mark dunked them back into the water, successfully muffling any sound they could make. Hyunjin only blinked at Mark in confusion while he felt like he was missing something very important. </p><p>Mark noticed the very confused look of the younger siren, which made him sigh a little. “Look at Donghyuck and me while using your powers and you will see what Jungwoo and Yukhei were laughing about”, he said. Hyunjin let out an “Oh” sound, already understanding what the older was referring to when he said ‘your powers’ but he used his siren powers anyway. </p><p>The young siren immediately noticed a red string connecting Mark and Donghyuck. It was floating around them being very prominent and also seemed very strong. “And what do you see?”, Mark asked while he was dragged into a back hug by the warlock, who was sitting on the pool’s edge cross-legged. </p><p>“A red string”, Hyunjin answered, watching how the string began to surround Mark and Donghyuk like a sort of magical shield even though the young siren was sure it was nothing that could protect the couple from an attack. “Do you know what this red string means?”, Mark asked, seemingly unbothered by the fact that he was now caged in Donghyuck’s embrace. Hyunjin shook his head. </p><p>“It means-“, Mark began but he was cut off by Yukhei and Jungwoo. “It means Mark and Donghyuck are destined to be together forever”, the nymph said dramatically like some kind of philosopher. “Not even death could part them”, Jungwoo added with a smile, which seemed a bit teasing. Hyunjin chuckled at that because he could now clearly see the red string between Jungwoo and Yukhei but he didn’t comment it since he had no clue if they were a couple or not. </p><p>“Well you two aren’t any better”, Mark huffed, leaning back a little so his head rested on Donghyuck’s chest. The warlock had a small smile on his lips and rested his chin on top of Mark’s head. They seemed quite comfortable like that. </p><p>“True. But we aren’t complete right now. Our third is missing”, Jungwoo chuckled. Hyunjin looked at the merman with mild confusion in his eyes. What did he mean with ‘Our third is missing’? </p><p>“Would you mind making that more clear?”, Hyunjin asked Jungwoo rather shyly, hoping he wasn’t annoying the other. “Gladly”, the merman smiled widely. </p><p>“As you may have already seen there is a red string between Yukhei and me but the two of us are also connected to another person”, he explained. “This person his Doyoung-hyung”, Yukhei added with a wide grin. Some things finally clicked in Hyunjin’s brain. </p><p>“So you two are in a relationship with each other and Doyoung-hyung?”, the young siren asked for clarification. Jungwoo and Yukhei both nodded while seemingly being a bit proud of themselves. “That’s so cute”, Hyunjin cheered a little. Jungwoo got a little red at that while Yukhei just grinned even wider if that was even possible. </p><p>“So we got that out of way. Any more questions, Hyunjin?”, Mark asked, gaining the younger siren’s attention again. Hyunjin thought for a moment, sorting the things he learned to today and trying to find knowledge gaps, which needed to be filled. Just glancing at the two couples in the room let a question pop up.</p><p>“Oh. Why are the red strings between Donghyuck and you as well as Yukhei and Jungwoo so clear? I think I have never seen this before”, Hyunjin wanted to know. He had such strings connecting his friends but they were faint and not very strong. </p><p>“Well red strings are something special since they are also referred to as “visible destiny” but they still need to get stronger over time. I have known Donghyuck for quite a while”, Mark started to explain. “We have known each other for five years and started dating two years ago”, Donghyuck chimed in with a wide smile. “And over those five years of spending time together the string got stronger and more visible. The same thing happened with Jungwoo-hyung, Yukhei and Doyoung-hyung”, Mark just continued. </p><p>Hyunjin nodded in understanding. It made sense, so it could be that some of his friends were concerned by such a red string too but it just needed to get stronger over time. With that out of the way Hyunjin stopped using his powers, which made the red string actively visible to him. It was fascinating that even now Hyunjin had the feeling to still see the red strings surrounding Mark and Donghyuck and Jungwoo and Yukhei. </p><p>“Alright then I only have one question left”, the young siren stated while turning to look at Yukhei. “How can nymphs make other creatures breath underwater with the help of their water skin and can sirens as well as mermen and mermaids do something similar?”, he asked being very specific, making the older males chuckle a bit at his thirst for knowledge. </p><p>“Well a nymph has to kiss the land creature on the mouth to give them the ability to breath underwater”, the nymph said and then looked past Hyunjin to Mark and Donghyuck. “Mark, can I borrow your boyfriend for a second to show him?”, the nymph asked without the slightest bit of shame or consideration. </p><p>“Oh hell no”, was the answer he received from not only Mark but also Jungwoo and Donghyuck. Hyunjin laughed at this because just looking at Jungwoo’s and Mark’s irritated mimics and the disgusted look on Donghyuck’s face was hilarious. Yukhei raised his hands in surrender. “Never mind then”, he said while Jungwoo punched his shoulder lightly. </p><p>“To your second question, no, sirens as well as mermen and mermaids can’t give someone the ability to breath underwater or can do something close to it”, Mark answered Hyunjin’s second part of the question. “But there is a technique where you can keep someone from drowning”, Jungwoo chimed in. “There is?”, Mark questioned with a confused look on his face while Jungwoo nodded. </p><p>“I learned it from my mother. It’s fairly simple and can be continued for a very long period of time. While being underwater your gills are filled with water. That’s basic knowledge. For this technique you hold your nose and kind of push all the water out of your gills so the only thing that remains in your mouth is oxygen. And this oxygen you give to the drowning person by lip contact”, the merman explained while making some gestures to underline the things he said.</p><p>“This sounds almost gross”, Donghyuck commented, scrunching up his nose. “So you would rather drown?”, Jungwoo questioned with an raised eyebrow. “Well no but I can’t drown anyway because I have Markie”, the warlock huffed, making everyone - except Mark because he got a bit red - laugh at his pronunciation of ‘Markie’.  </p><p>After they calmed down from that Yukhei suggested a little underwater race. Jungwoo and Hyunjin immediately agreed but Mark said he couldn’t participate since Donghyuck wouldn’t let go off him. The warlock confirmed this without the slightest bit of hesitation. </p><p>So the race was just between Yukhei, Jungwoo and Hyunjin. Since the pool wasn’t really long they decided to race to the bottom of it and then back up again so Mark and Donghyuck could distinguish the winner. </p><p>The race was easily won by Jungwoo but Hyunjin as well as Yukhei still had their fun since they kind of had an alliance against the merman. Their great plan to sabotage him obviously failed but at least they now knew that a merman’s tail was pretty damn strong. </p><p>Hyunjin was glad Mark offered to train with him since he never really had the chance to learn and train water bounded siren things. It just was an entirely new experience to him and it made him realize how much fun he had playing in his element with other water creatures like Yukhei and Jungwoo. It made him wish he could share this with his close friends and a little part of him also wanted to go swimming with his mother to see, which effect the water had on her as a mixed blood between a siren and a kitsune.</p>
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<a name="section0048"><h2>48. War declaration</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin experiences the worst day in his life so far.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin kept staring at the profiles of Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Sehun as well as the profiles of his parents, which were projected into the air while Seungmin was pacing up and down. The redhead was walking from on end of the meeting room to the other like a tiger in a cage. </p><p>Surprisingly it was a common sight nowadays since Changbin was trying to figure out how to track down his parents and the three missing royal guards with the help of his redheaded friend and the old magic of the book of vampires. The vampire prince had started his search shortly after Jae got him the book of vampires but when Seungmin started training with him he asked the redhead for help, knowing that his demonic friend was an exceptional talent when it came to magic. </p><p>Another reason for Changing to ask Seungmin was that as far as the vampire prince was aware the redhead was the only one - except for him - who could read the book of vampires. Of course Changbin still questioned why the young demon was able to do that but it was a mystery left unanswered since Seungmin always changed the topic when Changbin brought it up. At some point Changbin gave up hoping Seungmin would answer his question and just made peace with the fact that it was a question he would often think about whenever he liked it or not. </p><p> </p><p>For their research the two teens always had one of the many meeting room to themselves. They alway met up there shortly after training with the members of NCT and their friends but after a good two hours of thinking and fruitless attempts of using all sorts tracking spells Sungjin, Jae, Wonpil, who were most of the time accompanied by Byungho, Dowoon and Younghyun would dragged them out, so they could “do something with their friends” or “relax”. Changbin and Seungmin always protested but never too much since they both knew the older males were just worried about them. </p><p>“I hate not having answers”, Seungmin suddenly complained loudly, successfully pulling the vampire prince out of his thoughts. Changbin looked over to the redhead, who ruffled his scarlet hair rather harshly. It made Changbin automatically stand up from his place at the head of the meeting room’s table, so he could walk up to the younger and grab his wrists to keep him from almost pulling his hair out. He hated it when Seungmin was getting so frustrated he started to be harsh to himself with the argument of having to come up something because he was a demon.  </p><p>“Stop being so harsh to yourself. You are just a creature like me. Demon or not”, Changbin said in a calming voice. Seungmin sighed letting the vampire carefully pull his hands out of his hair. The vampire prince was kind of glad he could always calm his demonic friend down with that. Seungmin was still a kind of mystery to him. He felt close to the redhead but barely knew anything about him even though he was aware of the fact that knew more than the majority of their shared friends. </p><p>Changbin noticed how Seungmin was looking past his head probably towards the profiles. The younger’s dark eyes seemed focused and almost darker than usual. It wasn’t bad though since Changbin really liked Seungmin’s eyes even though they always seemed to hide a secret. Before the vampire could turn his gaze away from the redhead’s eyes did Seungmin focus on Changbin’s almost black orbs with the red tint in them. </p><p>Time seemed to just stop when their eyes met. Changbin was still holding Seungmin’s wrists and they weren’t that far away from each other making it easy for the both of them to just take in the other’s face. Slowly Changbin felt his heart speed up.</p><p>The vampire knew Seungmin was cute and handsome but he never remembered the younger to be that beautiful. His slightly chubbier cheeks gave him a bit of a rounder face but didn’t hide his sharp jawline. The redhead’s dark, almond shaped eyes seemed mysterious but still managed to make the other look cute because they somehow reminded one of a puppy. And then there were Seungmin’s perfectly shaped, round lips. Normally they showed a lit grin or smirk but when they curved up into a smile, revealing a bit of Seungmin’s teeth Changbin would call them kissable without hesitation. </p><p>It was a wonder he didn’t have girlfriend-, oh wait, nobody of their friends were straight. To rephrase it: It was a wonder Seungmin wasn’t in a relationship yet. </p><p>“Will we just keep staring at each other or get back to thinking about a solution?”, Seungmin asked without breaking the eye contact. Changbin blinked slowly, focusing his eyes back on Seungmin’s while his brain started to realize what he have been doing for the gods know how long. </p><p>“Let’s get back to thinking”, Changbin answered after clearing his throat while the tips of his ears began to turn red. The vampire automatically let go of Seungmin’s wrists to get back to his previous spot on the head of the table and prayed to all known gods he didn’t look flustered. </p><p>“Stop distracting yourself”, Changbin thought to himself and looked at the profiles again. The status of all of them was marked as “alive” meaning their heart was still beating. Yes, the popular believe that vampires had no heartbeat was wrong. They did have one even though it was a rather faint in comparison with other species like werewolves, warlocks or elves. </p><p>“Alright what haven’t we already tried?”, Changbin asked glancing at Seungmin. The redhead hadn’t moved from his position but did focus on the profiles hover in the air, which led Changbin internally release a breath. He could go back to being rather professional about this whole situation even without it being weird. </p><p>“Well everything we could think of up until now. Except the rather risky stuff you refused to let me try”, the redhead retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. They really had tried a lot. Every searching spell they could think of, they tried. Well, except the one Seungmin needed fire for to perform it. </p><p>“We don’t want the building to burn down”, Changbin countered, raising an eyebrow at the redhead. “That wouldn’t happen”, Seungmin huffed while he avoided looking at the vampire. For a demon that was a very badly hidden lie. </p><p>There was a short silence before the younger of the two males spoke up again. “Okay maybe the room where the spell is performed would burn down”, the redhead finally admitted in a little bit of a sulky manner. It made Changbin bite back a laugh because the redhead rarely admitted he was wrong about something. </p><p>Still when the vampire focused back on the profiles of his parents and the remaining members of the royal guard he couldn’t help but sigh. They were really running out of ideas and probably time too, which really wasn’t good in any way. The vampire prince let his gaze wander to the book of vampires, which laid open on the table. He looked at the five names, which were marked on the opened page: Seo Ahri, Seo Shiwon, Byun Baekhyun, Oh Sehun, Park Chanyeol. </p><p>The way the names were written somehow made Changbin think for a moment. The book of vampires was an ancient artifact, which already existed in the times of the ancient war but even after all this time he could read it without any effort.</p><p>With lightly frowned eyebrows did Changbin walk up to the ancient book, examining it for a short moment until a symbol on the right top corner of the page caught his eye. There was a symbol, which he knew was a special ruin. </p><p>Suddenly a realization hit the young vampire prince. “Runes! We haven’t tried runes yet”, he yelled turning to look at Seungmin, whose face lit up immediately with the same realization as Changbin. “Seo Changbin you are a genius. I could kiss you right now”, the redhead said, probably without thinking about his choice of words. </p><p>“What?”, Changbin asked in confusion because he was pretty sure he misheard. Seungmin just answered this with an equally confused “What?”. There was a short silence between the two young males where they just looked at each other while being absolutely confused. Seungmin lightly shook his head, breaking the eye contact. </p><p>“Runes. Let’s concentrate on that”, the redhead reminded and sat down on the ground. He began tracing specific symbols on the ground, which seemed like an innocent action but Changbin knew the redhead was creating tracking runes on the ground. </p><p>It was impressive that Seungmin was able to just draw runes without using a pen or something to maybe correct mistakes but the vampire prince just really wanted to know if Seungmin really said “I could kiss you right now” or if it was just his imagination. </p><p>Suddenly the doors of the meeting flew open, letting both Changbin and Seungmin jump up in fright. Taeyong dashed into the room, followed by a man with brown hair and another one with blond, almost white hair. Changbin recognized the two unknown males as J.Seph and BM of the group KARD. </p><p>Taeyong quickly grabbed the remote for the meeting room’s TV, which laid on the counter to the left and turn the device on without saying anything. It scared and confused Changbin and Seungmin even more since the TV in the meeting room was never used as far as they knew. They had magic for visual representation of things!</p><p>As soon as the TV showed the human news Changbin understood why Taeyong had to turn it on. At the moment there was a live transmission made from various angles with probably a lot of different cameras on the ground as well as in the air. It looked normal at the beginning since there was just a big crowd, which surrounded a kind of little stage but as soon as Changbin saw the people on that stage his blood ran cold. </p><p>On this little stage were seven people: Two cat hybrids in cages (one on the right side of the stage the other on the left side), one figure hidden under a dark blue cloak, which made it almost impossible to see his or her face, two hunters and two vampires, which were harshly chained to the ground by their hands, ankles and necks. </p><p>Changbin was sure he stopped breathing when the camera showed the two vampires close up, revealing their faces to the TV audience. No matter how long it had been since he last saw them he would always recognize his parents. “Mother ... Father ...”, Changbin almost whispered but it was still audible to everyone in the room. </p><p>“Where the hell is this?”, Taeyong asked in irritated tone. You could hear he was mad, very mad but Changbin couldn’t bring himself to even glance at the guardian. “Somewhere in Transylvania but the exact location is still unknown and we can’t figure it out! Their magical creature, this Zendala, must have protected the area with a spell and the news didn’t show the exact location either!”, J.Seph explained, trying to be calm but there was something in his voice, which showed his frustration. </p><p>“They are starting a fucking war with this! Even if we knew where this scene is set and could do something against it the humans would mark us as the bad guys because someone of the hunters would definitely attack us and we would fight back! They are revealing us to the public completely and they act like we are this malicious creatures, who will just kill them!”, BM snapped at no one in particular. </p><p>The conversation of the older males was something Changbin registered but not primarily paid attention to. His eyes were still fixed on the TV screen, which showed how the cat hybrids - or to be more precise Minho and Felix’s parents - hissed at everyone who came too close to their cage. </p><p>“They are drugged”, Seungmin whispered beside him, gaining Changbin’s attention but it didn’t make the vampire’s eyes leave the TV screen. The vampire just focused on the two cat hybrids a bit more. </p><p>Seungmin was right the cat hybrids did seem disoriented since they even hissed in directions where only very few people stood. A camera, closer to their cage also revealed that their pupils were a lot wider than the ones of a normal cat hybrid. </p><p>Suddenly the camera abruptly focused on one of the hunters, who was standing on the stage with the cloaked figure beside him. Changbin subconsciously sucked in a breath when he noticed the red crystal around the man’s neck. This was the man, who attacked him when he wanted to help Mrs. Lee escape from the fire, which had destroyed her clan’s territory. </p><p>The man looked over the crowd before he pulled down his face mask, revealing some nasty claw-like scars which went from his left cheek over his mouth to the right side of his jaw. He began to speak but the TV was muted, so Changbin could only see the man’s lips moving. </p><p>“Unmute the TV”, Seungmin said loudly to Taeyong, ripping NCT’s leader out of his conversation with the two unknown males. The guardian looked to the TV again and immediately unmuted it. </p><p>“-ature are malicious beings by nature. They were born and created to hunt and kill us. Some even target especially children and women. We, hunters and huntresses, have found and perfected methods as well as techniques to turn this around and make them the prey even though the majority of humanity declared us as superstitious and crazy to believe in the existence of supernatural creatures. Now you have proof, that our believes and training wasn’t for nothing”, the man spoke and gestured towards the four creatures on the stage. </p><p>“Even though we have many hunter and huntresses we still need the help of every human on earth. Let’s finally end the killing of the supernatural creature, so we don’t have to fear them anymore. And-“, the man wanted to continue his speech but suddenly some people in the crowd began moving in a supernatural speed. </p><p>“Vampires?”, Seungmin breathed out in confusion right beside Changbin. The cameras were switching quickly, showing how some vampires just bit a bunch of humans without warning. One of the cameramen or camerawomen must have been attacked too because he or she dropped the camera while a horrifying, shrill scream could be heard. </p><p>Changbin heard how a little gasp escaped Seungmin’s lips when it was shown how some humans dropped to the ground motionless, pale and without a drop of blood. The vampires killed them by drinking too much of their blood. </p><p>The situation shown on the screen was chaotic and escalated way too quickly. The few hunters, which seemed to be present had jumped in and began fighting the vampires while the civilians ran around in panic. </p><p>The cameras were switching around so much it made Changbin feel dizzy but even in this complete chaos it was noticeable how a bunch of vampires managed to get to the stage and rip open the chains of the vampire king and queen while ignoring the cages which contained the drugged cat hybrids. Changbin could see even from a certain distance how his parents had their Red Glow on full display, meaning something must have been done to them beforehand.</p><p>This made Changbin pay more attention to the other vampires’ actually strange behavior. They killed the humans by biting them and then gulping down all of their blood hungrily. It was unusual as strange as that may sound to some. </p><p>Of course the most efficient way of killing for a vampire was drinking the victim’s or enemy’s blood since the blood made them stronger for a certain period of time but they didn’t need it to survive or have a general craving for it. They only got extremely hungry for blood after they had to heal their bodies multiple times. </p><p>Suddenly it clicked in Changbin’s head. This whole thing was a set-up. Those vampires must have been captured like Changbin’s parents and were tortured a lot, so their bodies had to repair the damage done to it multiple times, making their thirst for blood unbearable over time. </p><p>This time the vampire prince felt how his Red Glow got stronger by each second passing, replacing his fear, panic, horror and sadness with calmness and a more calculating way of thinking but it was suddenly dimmed down when he felt a warm hand in his own. A glance to the side told him it was Seungmin, who was looking at the screen in shock and fright but still took Changbin’s hand. </p><p>The camera suddenly zoomed away from the whole chaos and then changed the point of view completely. Changbin’s breathing stopped when he was met with the face of his mother, who seemed to be directing the camera onto herself by force. It seemed like she was looking directly at Changbin through the screen. Her eyes were bright red, telling Changbin that she was only able to think rational because of her Red Glow. </p><p>“Changbin”, she said surprisingly calm but still with a lot of emotion in her undertone. The young vampire prince felt how a lump was forming in his throat when he heard his mother talk. </p><p>“I know this is rushed and maybe the last thing I will ever say to you but you need to get the book of vampires and unleash its full potential. Only you are able to do that, it was said in the vision of an immortal warlock on the day you were born. You are the key to it. You can get information on anyone with that. I know you can figure it out with Jisung”, she said and then paused for a moment while tears welled up in her eyes. </p><p>“Changbin just know I-“, she began but suddenly a shot fell and her words were caught in her throat. The red was fading out of her eyes and a silver liquid began to cover her mouth, letting her cough before the program was cut off and the news came to the studio where the reporters were just speechless. Taeyong turned the TV off and there was a suffocating silence in the room. </p><p>Changbin felt how hard Seungmin was squeezing his hand, maybe to calm him and himself but  the vampire just felt numb. Maybe it was the Red Glow or his mind which decided to just shut down but he truly felt nothing. No emotion, no pain. </p><p>His gaze wandered from the now black screen of the TV to the opened book of vampires, which still projected the profiles of Changbin’s parents and the three royal guards into the air. His mother’s status had changed from “alive” to “deceased”. Subconsciously he also looked at the status of his father, which just in that moment changed itself from “alive” to “deceased”, meaning the vampire king just lost his life as well. </p><p>“Changbin”, the vampire prince heard Taeyong’s careful, gentle voice say. It was a huge contrast to the voice the guardian had used when he had entered the room but Changbin appreciated the older male’s sympathy. The vampire prince turned his head to look at the guardian, still feeling nothing. Judging by the short flash of shock in the guardian’s eyes his Red Glow must be very intense right now but Changbin noticed that the other seemed to have a question.</p><p>“What did your mother say?”, the guardian asked carefully. “She said your name and then spoke in a different language. I couldn’t even tell which one”, he added, still using a soft voice. For a brief second Changbin didn’t understand what Taeyong meant before he understood what his mother had done. She used an old trick to talk to him only.</p><p>“She spoke Vampirisch. It’s the language of the royal vampires and purely for emergency situations or secret meetings”, the vampire prince answered almost coldly. Taeyong nodded and seemingly wanted to say something but before he could the door of the meeting room was ripped open again but none other that Han Jisung. </p><p>“Chan-hyung is in danger!”, the young warlock exclaimed while breathing heavily. “The pack ... he is currently staying at ... is under attack. Byungho-hyung has a bad feeling too which more or less confirms this is happening right now. We need to go there now!”, he continued while he still struggled to calm his heavy breathing but somehow managed to yell the last sentence. </p><p>“How are those damn hunters literally everywhere?”, BM questioned loudly, like he wasn’t believing it. It was a surprise he didn’t question Jisung at all. On the other hand NCT did know Jisung had a vision about the fire at Sky Clan and therefore predicted it. </p><p>“Matthew calm down”, J.Seph spoke up, laying a hand on BM’s shoulder. The blond looked at his group member with a bit of fire burning in his eyes. “I won’t calm down. If the hunters want a war they should get one”, the blond shot back. </p><p>“We should think before we act, BM”, Taeyong said sharply and turned his attention to Jisung again. “At which pack is Chan staying at?”, he asked the warlock. Jisung gulped and took a breath but he didn’t get to answer. </p><p>“Moon pack”, someone behind the warlock answered. Byungho revealed himself to the people in the little meeting room by coming up beside Jisung  but he wasn’t alone. Jeongin, Felix, Minho and Hyunjin were there too. Changbin guessed they didn’t really know what was going on, judging by the puzzled and a little scared expressions on their faces. </p><p>“It’s almost arrogant to attack such a large pack”, BM scoffed, calming down a little bit. He turned to Taeyong, having changed his mood completely. “I will call up Jiwoo, Somin, A.C.E as well as MonstaX and help the moon pack. Get your team together and back us up as soon as possible”, the blond instructed in a much more professional tone. Taeyong nodded in understanding. </p><p>With that BM left the room with quick steps, obviously determined. Jisung, Byungho and the rest of their friends immediately made room for the tall male, not wanting to be in his way right now, which was understandable. “Wish us luck”, J.Seph mumbled mostly to himself before he looked at NCT’s leader for a short moment before following his blond partner. </p><p>“Follow me please”, Taeyong said to group of young males after a short silence. Changbin still felt empty and numb but he did follow the guardian while Seungmin was still holding onto his hand. While walking down the corridor the vampire prince noticed the fear and worry lingering in the atmosphere. It was like it was floating over his friends like a cloud. Even in his current state with his Red Glow on full display he hated it because he could do nothing about it.</p><p>Taeyong lead the group to one of the open common rooms of the building were most of the NCT members spend their free time. Today was no exception. In the common room they just entered were Jaemin, Jeno, Renjun, Dejun, YangYang, Yukhei, Doyoung and Jungwoo. They seemed to have a nice afternoon with some board games and books, which was why the eight males were rather surprised when the group Taeyong lead into the room seemed to gloomy. </p><p>“What’s wrong?”, Doyoung asked immediately, getting up from his place between Yukhei and Jungwoo. “We got an emergency. I need you to get Jaehyun, Ten, Taeil, WinWin, Johnny and Kun”, Taeyong instructed, leaving no room for questions. Doyoung didn’t loose any time and immediately dashed out of the room. </p><p>“Renjun, get Donghyuck and Yuta. The three of you need to double our defense systems”, the guardian ordered, looking at the young warlock with silver eyes. Renjun nodded, detached himself from Jaemin and dashed out of the room like Doyoung did. </p><p>“The rest of you just stay here”, the red-haired man then concluded looking at everyone, who was still present. “If anything happens you know what to do”, he then added, focusing on the remaining NCT members, who nodded in understanding. Taeyong then turned on his heels and walked out of the room quickly. </p><p>“What the hell just happened?”, Hyunjin breathed out beside Changbin. Normally the vampire prince would have been startled by such an action but now he didn’t even flinch a little. His Red Glow kept his mind too focused on rational thoughts. </p><p>“Don’t worry. We will sort this out”, Jungwoo said and stood up, so he could walk over to the group of frightened teenagers. He was only Minho’s age, yes, but he was trained for emergency situations like this ever since he joined NCT. </p><p>Changbin knew the merman didn’t have any clue what was exactly happening right now but he appreciated how Jungwoo still wanted to make everyone feel safe. He almost let out an ironic chuckle when he remembered, that almost no one in the room knew about the human’s brutal war declaration. Jisung seemingly didn’t know since he was only worried about Chan because he must have seen, that the wolf hybrid was in danger through a part of his vision clearing up all of the sudden. </p><p>Even with the Red Glow Changbin felt a his chest tightening when he thought about the inevitable war. To the gods he will be directly involved with everything. He was theoretically king now. His parents were dead, meaning he was inheriting their position if he wanted or not but to make things even worse for the young, inexperienced vampire crown prince he was also some sort of key for the book of vampires, which will be important for the war and tactics if you thought about it from a strategic point of view. </p><p>Maybe Changbin would have broken down in the moment he slowly began to understand his new role. His Red Glow probably wouldn’t have prevented it, no matter how strong it was but in the end he didn’t break down because of the young demon standing right beside him. When the vampire had the feeling everything was too much for him to handle he felt how Seungmin was lightly squeezing his hand again. The warmth of the other’s hand was a lot more present again and it made Changbin seriously questioned what made him stay more sane in this situation. His Red Glow or the redhead?</p>
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<a name="section0049"><h2>49. Time, destiny and bond</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chan is fighting to get to Yedam while Byungho ignores all logic to get to Chan.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time was always something uncontrollable and so was fate but Chan never thought that those two things could be so cruel. Just one minute ago the young wolf hybrid had been laying around in the room he shared with his younger brother Yedam and his mother in one of the pack houses. It had been a normal afternoon for him but it changed quicker than he could snap his fingers.  </p><p>His mother had bursted into the room yelling at him to get his brother and then run into the forest as far away from the pack houses as possible. The panic and urgency in her voice had made the young male shift into his wolf form out of reflex. Like his mother had wanted Chan dashed out of the room in search for his younger brother. </p><p>As far as Chan knew Yedam was with some boys, who were part of the moon pack and around the same age as his younger brother. Yedam had said they wanted to train some tricks before he had left the room, meaning he just needed to find where they were training right now. Chan had soon realized why his mother had been panicking when he saw the fight that had erupted outside of the pack house. Shifted werewolves and wolf hybrids were fighting against what Chan could only guess to be humans with weapons. </p><p>After the young wolf hybrid had ran out of the pack house he was in the middle of the chaos. He just ran through it, while dodging everything that seemed dangerous, no matter if it was just a pointy object or a real weapon. He hated that he couldn’t call out to his brother in his wolf form and that he was alone in this chaos of metallic weapons, claws and teeth but his first priority right now was finding his brother. Everything else was not important right now.</p><p>The fighting noises filled his ears. The howls and growls of shifted werewolves and wolf hybrids followed by the screams and angry yells of humans. The noises of clinking weapons, the scratching of claws, the baring of teeth were everywhere along with the scent faint scent of blood. </p><p>Fate and time were cruel things, Chan fully realized when a gigantic, shifted werewolf crashed down in front of him, making him stop running at once. The werewolf just laid there blocking Chan’s way and for a moment Chan thought they would get up again and continue to fight but nothing like that happened. They just laid there being completely still, not even attempting to get up again. The grey fur of the werwolf was tinted in red and slowly Chan could smell the heavy and warm scent of fresh blood. The werewolf didn’t move at all but the scent of blood and death was slowly surrounding them.</p><p>The young wolf hybrid had the feeling he couldn’t move, couldn’t hear. The fighting noises faded into the background and he just looked at the unmoving body of the werewolf in front of him while his nose was filled with the scent of blood and death. It made his stomach cramp, making him feel sick. </p><p>Chan was ripped out of this state and his thoughts when a human jumped over the dead werewolf with his weapon pointed at him. Without hesitation the human dashed forward, aiming the pointy end of his spear at Chan’s head. The young wolf hybrid dodged the attack in the last second and started to run again like he was chased by the devil himself. </p><p>“Yedam, by all the gods where are you”, Chan thought to himself in a panic. He needed to find his brother as soon as possible and get him out of her as long as he could. Suddenly he heard a loud and very familiar yelp over the fighting noises. Chan immediately recognized the yelp as his brother’s and ran towards it, avoiding every fight he came across. </p><p>He jumped over a brush, which had blocked his way and was met with another fighting scene but this time Chan wouldn’t just dodge it because a female human was towering over his little brother’s black wolf form, ready to end the younger’s life with the spear in their hand. </p><p>Chan dashed forward, remembering the lesson he had with Donghun. He ducked slightly and then dashed forward targeting the human’s hand they held the weapon in. Without hesitation Chan bit down onto the human’s hand without letting go, earning a high pitched scream and a dropped spear. </p><p>“Stupid wolf”, the female human cursed and tried to get Chan off her. The wolf hybrid didn’t budge until he left the cold metal of the spear under his hind paw and kicked it as far away as possible. The woman ripped her hand away from the wolf hybrid and took some steps backwards to get ready to defend herself but Chan didn’t care. He just dashed past her, quickly grabbing his brother by his neck fur and carried or better dragged him away as fast as possible. </p><p>“Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead”, Chan chanted in his head while he continued to quickly drag his brother, who wasn’t moving one bit, away from the female human. He used bushes and trees to not gain any attention from the humans, in hopes of just escaping the scene without further incident. Suddenly the wolf hybrid heard a shot fall nearby, making him stop abruptly and almost drop Yedam. </p><p>His ears twitched and tried to locate where the noise had come from but there was only the noise of the fights near the pack houses. Chan carefully looked around, trying to find a human with a gun or something similar but their was no one here, so he carried on dragging Yedam into the forest, far away from the fight until another shot fell and something hit his shoulder. </p><p>Chan fell to the side automatically dropping Yedam when a little pained howl escaped him. He breathed heavily when he looked around again, trying to figure out where the hell this shot came from until his eyes fell onto his bleeding shoulder. Blood was tinting his grey fur red but Chan couldn’t feel any kind of pain. Probably because of the adrenaline pumping through his veins. </p><p>“I’m going to die here”, the young male thought to himself. </p><p>————————</p><p>Byungho was pacing the common room up and down like a tiger in a small cage. He really couldn’t deny that he was related to Seungmin but right now he was a lot more concerned about the bad feeling he had gotten only seconds before Jisung had screamed out “Chan-hyung is in danger” and then dashed out of the trainings hall. The feeling grew stronger and stronger with every passing second and there was no way this was a good sign. </p><p>Suddenly the brunette could feel a dull pain in his shoulder. He stopped his pacing when he felt a dull stinging getting a bit stronger. Subconsciously he put his hand on the spot where the stinging was, pressing down just a little bit to see if it was his own pain. It wasn’t. The stinging didn’t get worse when he pressed down like it would if it was Byungho’s own pain. It just kept on stinging just a tiny bit. </p><p>The only more or less logical explanation for this was that Chan was hurt and Byungho could feel a small proportion of the wolf hybrid’s pain. It was unusual though. According to what Chan, Minho and Felix had told their friends on New Year the bond between mates must be very strong for both partners to feel each other’s pain. In the normal case, with a normal bond only the werewolf or hybrid were able to feel their partner’s pain. </p><p>“Hyung!”, Byungho was ripped out of his thoughts by Seungmin’s shout. The brunette turned around to look at his younger brother, who looked at him with concern in his dark eyes. “What’s wrong?”, the redhead asked and only now did Byungho noticed that he didn’t only have Seungmin’s attention. Almost everyone seemed to be worried about him but Byungho only focused on the one person he knew he couldn’t lie to right now. Seungmin. </p><p>“I need to get to Chan”, the brunette spoke out what he was thinking. It was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear but Byungho was primarily looking at Seungmin, whose eyes shimmered with sympathy. </p><p>“You can’t do that”, Jungwoo spoke up. Byungho looked over to the merman, who was getting up from his place on one of the room’s sofas where he had sat beside Yukhei. He was walking over to the two Kim brothers, looking neither angry nor irritated with the brunette’s suggestion but there was something in the merman’s eyes that told Byungho that his friend from kindergarten would surely stop him from getting to Chan. </p><p>“Taeyong-hyung told us to stay put. Have a little faith in the groups, who are trying to help the moon pack”, the merman added, looking at Byungho with empathy in his eyes. The brunette sighed and let his gaze slowly drift back to Seungmin. </p><p>The redhead still looked concerned and behind that Byungho could see the younger’s fear. Still, the younger also had an understanding glimmer in his eyes. At least one person in the room would not try to stop him if he did what he had planed.</p><p>The brunette turned back to Jungwoo this time looking directly into the shining black orbs of the merman. He felt almost bad to get the merman into a bit of trouble but he had to help Chan, he had to help his boyfriend and if it was the last thing he did. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Jungwoo”, Byungho apologized before teleporting out of the room into the corridor. He could hear the protest from not only Jungwoo but also his friends and the other NCT members, who were in the room but for now Byungho didn’t care about that. He needed to get to Chan as fast as possible. </p><p>The brunette teleported himself multiple time until he was outside of the NCT headquarter. He hated how he could only teleport on short distance since portal spells were a lot more difficult to master but he was lucky enough to have a different set of abilities he could use for fast, long distance travel. </p><p>Byungho breathed out mentally preparing himself for his next step. His breath was visible in the cold air and maybe he should have grabbed a coat before literally running away from his friends but for now he didn’t worry about that. </p><p>Slowly a spell seemed to fall around the brunette revealing Byungho’s pitch black wings. The male released a breath again when he felt his wings weigh on his back, reminding him that his shirt now had two perfectly cut rips he would need to cover later on. </p><p>With his invisibility activated Byungho swung himself into the air. His black wings carried him high up into the sky without anyone noticing him. He flew over the many house roofs of his home town, trying to figure out where he needed to go to get to the moon pack territory. </p><p>He really didn’t think this through. Suddenly he felt a sting in his right arm, which made him lowly hiss in pain. Byungho looked at his arm, checking if something hit him or if he was just imagining things. His arm was fine, no cut, no scratch, nothing but the dull stinging remained.</p><p>The brunette realized that he pain in his arm was very similar to the one in his shoulder, meaning Chan got probably hurt again. This slowly filled the young male’s system with panic. “I need to get to him now”, Byungho thought to himself, flying to his boyfriend’s house as fast as possible to orientate himself. </p><p>After all the brunette knew the direction the Bang Family drove off to and more or less the way to the moon pack territory from Chan’s descriptions, so it was a start. He kept up his fast flying pace and followed the street he could see under him even though he knew this wouldn’t lead him to Chan. </p><p>Byungho felt his chest tighten at the thought of losing the wolf hybrid. It just couldn’t happen. He would lose his best friend, the person beside his brothers and mother he trusted the most, his boyfriend, his significant other.</p><p>Suddenly the black winged angel felt a kind of pull towards a certain direction. He couldn’t really  describe it, his subconscious just decided to follow it. Byungho felt like he was calmed by this pull, which made him believe it was the bond between Chan and him even though it was objectively unlikely. </p><p>“Hold on for a bit longer Channie”, Byungho thought to himself and he hoped that somehow Chan could hear it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0050"><h2>50. Daggers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The battle at the moon pack escalates.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I hate this stupid Zendala”, Ten cursed lowly. The Demi-dragon with the big golden wings was flying high in the air while his eyes scanned over the surroundings under him. On the ground were supernatural creatures fighting against a lot of hunters, who apparently had appeared out of nowhere as far as NCT knew. It resembles the situation at the Sky Clan territory but this time NCT and their allies weren’t too late to safe the creatures in danger. </p><p>Jaehyun, who was flying beside Ten silently agreed with the older’s statement about hating Zendala but too focused on the situation on the ground to agree with his fellow demi-dragon verbally. </p><p>On the ground everyone was fighting for their life and even though the Moon pack got help from NCT, K.A.R.D, MonstaX and A.C.E the hunters just became more and more. To top that they just killed any creature, which came into their way, no matter if young or old. They also had sharpshooters hidden somewhere, who kept every creature from fleeing the scene by foot.</p><p>“Just continue to try spotting and then take out the sharpshooters”, Jaehyun said scanning the area under him again. “We know they are there and thanks to WinWin they can’t see us”, the younger demi-dragon added, letting his golden dragon eyes sweep over the trees systematically. </p><p>“You are really calling him WinWin? What’s wrong with his real name Sicheng?”, Ten questioned while he focused on the trees as well. “We are on a mission, hyung. Focus on your task and not how I call another member”, Jaehyun only huffed without looking at the older. </p><p>“Alright but I don’t get why we are the ones searching for the sharpshooters. Doyoung along with someone, who has magical abilities would be more fitted for this task”, Ten argued while he searched for the enemy with his bronze dragon eyes. </p><p>“Stop questioning our leader’s decisions. He will have his reasons, after all he is a guardian and knows what’s best for us”, Jaehyun stated, getting a little bit irritated. With all respect Ten should focus on the task at hand and not whine like a toddler.  </p><p>“Still we could do a lot more damage on the ground and unlike some creatures steel weapons don’t do much to us”, Ten muttered, still trying to spot a sharpshooter but finding no clue for them. They were excellently hidden. </p><p>“If we use our fire on the ground we would burn down everyone no matter if enemy or ally and we don’t know if we are immune to the weapons of hunters. We have never fought against them directly, so stop whining and get to work.”, the younger dragon huffed, letting himself dash forward with one strong swing of his wings. </p><p>Suddenly they both heard a malicious chuckle from behind them. Without hesitating for a bit Ten turn around like lighting and breathed out enough fire to burn a little, wooden cabin to ashes. The person, a woman with long blue hair and a midnight blue cloak, who had chuckled wasn’t fazed by that since the fire just dodged her like she was surrounded by a shield. </p><p>“Aren’t you fast with shooting, huh?”, she mused while a malicious smile drew itself onto her red lips. Jaehyun wasn’t having her kind of small talk. He turned around and immediately charged at her, trying to hit her with his claws while knowing that Ten had his back with his fire breath.</p><p>The woman dodged every hit directed at her with ease. It almost seems like she was dancing in midair. “Don’t you ever get tired?”, she asked innocently while she spun to the side, dodging another stream of fire from Ten, who was slowly getting irritated. </p><p>Jaehyun was panting a bit while positioning himself beside the older demi-dragon. He hasn’t been able to hit the lady in the midnight blue cloak once. She was just too fast, even though she obviously wasn’t a creature made to fight high up in the air. </p><p>“Who are you?”, Ten questioned even though the two Demi-dragons could already guess who this woman was. She fitted the description of Zendala they had and she was obviously a magical creatures, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to be this high up in the air without wings. </p><p>“I am Zendala”, she answered, bowing a bit like she was in a ballroom. “Nice to meet you Jung Jaehyun and Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul“, the woman continued smiling even wider, which made the two Demi-dragons freeze a bit. She was planning something for sure. Why else would she just randomly show herself and fight a bit with two members of an powerful group of supernatural beings?</p><p>“Jaehyun go”, Ten whispered, hoping that only the younger could hear him. Jaehyun kept his eyes fixed on Zendala, who patiently hovered in the air, still with this malicious smile on her face but he refused to move one bit, making it very clear to the older demi-dragon that he wasn’t going anywhere. </p><p>“For the gods’ love, Jaehyun, please go and get Taeyong before something ugly happens”, the older of the two pressed in a more commanding tone. “I won’t leave you alone with her, hyung”, Jaehyun hissed, still looking at Zendala, who began to chuckle again. </p><p>“You two are really something but well you are known as NCT’s non magical powerhouses”, she chuckled covering her mouth with her hand, which couldn’t hide the treacherous look on her face. “It’s almost too bad I need you for my little plan”, the woman added and before even finishing what she said, she had teleported herself behind the two demi-dragons taking them by surprise because of her fast movement. </p><p>Jaehyun felt like time was running in slow motion when he saw in the corner of his eye how the blue-haired woman stabbed a shimmering green dagger into between Ten’s shoulder blades, hitting the point, which made a demi-dragon’s wings stop working. The older demi-dragon couldn’t even properly react to the pain in his back before she pushed him down harshly, making it impossible for Jaehyun to grab him before she drew another shimmering green dagger from the belt hidden underneath her midnight blue cloak. The young demi-dragon could identify the dagger as a blade made of jade. Enchanted jade as far as he could tell, which made it more dangerous than it already was.</p><p>As fast as he could Jaehyun dived down, dodging her hit with the enchanted jade dagger but the next thing he knew was how there was an arm harshly put around his neck, followed by an unbearable pain between his shoulder blades. </p><p>He felt how every bit of power he had in his body was sucked into the jade dagger. He felt like the prey of an hungry vampire. The last thing he could do before he lost his consciousness was scream for his leader at the top of his lungs. </p><p>“TAEYONG”</p><p>—————————————</p><p>Hiding underneath a rather small bush maybe wasn’t the brightest idea Chan ever had but it was better than getting killed by a hunter. The grey wolf cowered beside his unconscious brother while blood was still dripping out of the wound on his shoulder as well as the one on his right foreleg. </p><p>The adrenaline had worn off making it almost impossible for Chan to not whimper in pain but he had to stay quiet for the sake of his brother’s and his own survival. If he was loud enough for humans to hear him they would find and killed him along with Yedam. </p><p>After the young wolf hybrid had been shot into the shoulder, he had grabbed his brother again and stumbled to the nearest hiding spot he could find but not without getting hit by something sharp enough to cut through the skin of his right foreleg. </p><p>Now he just cowered underneath the little bush praying that no human will ever find him or his younger brother. Chan turned his head to look at Yedam agin. The black wolf was still unconscious but he had no open, bleeding wound and he was still breathing, which was a huge relief to Chan. Carefully the older wolf hybrid nudged Yedam’s shoulder in hopes of waking the younger up but the black wolf remained unmoving. </p><p>The older let out a little, barely audible sigh and laid his head on the ground. He was getting tired but the last thing he should do was becoming unguardedly or incautious. Chan light shook his head and raised it again. There was no way he would let his guard down now. He could still hear the fighting happing not far away from his hiding spot. A human could find him at any given time and if that happened he would need to protect his brother and himself. </p><p>Suddenly Chan’s ears picked up a familiar voice. It wasn’t one he knew from the pack and it wasn’t his mother either but it was still familiar enough for him to recognize. The grey wolf’s ears turned around trying to find the direction the voice came from while also moving. his head lightly from side to side. </p><p>“Byeongkwan cover Wow!”, the familiar voice yelled and it immediately clicked in Chan’s head. It was Donghun’s voice! He was here! Probably with all the other A.C.E members. Relief was flooding through the grey wolf hybrid’s system, almost making him forget the pain in his shoulder and right foreleg. </p><p>He was reminded of his wounds when he attempted to just put a little pressure on his right foreleg, so he could look through the thin branches of the little bush. Chan hissed in pain but he gritted his teeth and ignored it to see what was going on around him. </p><p>Through the bush’s branches he saw Donghun not far away from his hiding place along with his group mate Wow and a male with grayish hair and silver fairy wings. Chan could only guess that the fairy was Byeongkwan since he was now covering Wow like Donghun had instructed. </p><p>Suddenly another deafening shot fell, making Chan flinch and cower again. The noise had been so loud it must have been nearby. Chan pressed his eyes together, praying that whoever had shot hadn’t noticed him despite being easier to spot with his grey fur. He heard an uproar from what he could only imagine to be an very angry werewolf or even a fuming harpy. </p><p>“This is getting out of hand. What have we even done to the humans that they attacked us out of nowhere. We did nothing to them. We just want to live in peace”, Chan thought to himself while making himself even smaller than he already was. He felt so small and weak. The only thing he wanted to do was protect the one close to him but now he was faced with the fact that the enemy was stronger than he will ever be. </p><p>“Stop being so negative”, Chan mentally reminded himself. He shook his head pulling himself out of this bad mind space. The grey wolf opened his eyes again and looked to his side to see Yedam still laying there unconscious. Maybe he was weak, maybe he was small but he wouldn’t go down without a fight if it came down to that. It didn’t matter if he was already weakened or not. He would fight. </p><p>All of the sudden someone screamed “Taeyong” from the top of their lungs. It was a loud and blood curling scream, making the young wolf hybrid flinch again. As fas as Chan could tell it was coming from the sky and not from the battlefield at the Moon Packs Houses. Still Chan had the feeling this scream let everything get louder, faster, bloodthirstier and more brutal. </p><p>Without any sort of a warning the grey wolf felt how his left hind leg was grabbed. Chan wanted to  bite whoever had grabbed his leg but he was too slow since he was already dragged away from the safety of his hiding spot and his unconscious brother before he could properly turn his head around. </p><p>Chan yanked his leg away from whoever was holding it, scrabbled to his feet and turned around quickly, so he could immediately dodge the blow of the human who had found him. “No wonder you were hiding”, the human, a male one with two swords in his hands, commented lowly while his eyes scanned Chan up and down, spotting the wolf hybrid’s wounds on his right foreleg and shoulder. Chan growled at him while ignoring how his wounds began to burn when his muscles tensed. </p><p>The male let out an amused huff maybe to provoke the wolf hybrid but he wasn’t falling for that. Chan had to fight defensively if he wanted to have a chance but the moment he thought that he noticed how the human in front of him also had his fair share of wounds. His cloths were dirty, probably from falling to the ground so much, his left arm was shaking due a wound on his upper arm and he was panting from exhaustion. But the thing which caught Chan off guard was the fact that the male human didn’t seem older than himself. He probably still visited school and lived with his parents. </p><p>This was the moment Chan realized they didn’t have much differences but still needed to fight against each other for reasons the wolf hybrid still couldn’t get a grip on. The male human wasn’t attacking him yet so Chan took the chance to slowly transform back into his human form, taking the male standing opposite him by surprise. Still the young man made no move to attack the wolf hybrid. </p><p>Now Chan stood there in his human form with messy silver hair, a grey shirt and pants, which mirrored the grey fur of his wolf form. The fabric of his shirt on his shoulder was quickly tinted red by his wound but Chan didn’t care about that right now. He was focusing on the young male in front of him, who despite holding two swords didn’t attack him yet. </p><p>“I don’t want to fight or hurt you”, Chan said in a calm voice, showing his hands to the human to underline his words. Only a little bit did the male lower his to swords but it was enough to show Chan that he didn’t want to fight either. They really had similarities. </p><p>“I don’t know why we were attacked but the only thing I want to do is protect my family and friends. I don’t intend on harming anyone”, the wolf hybrid continued, still holding up his hands. The human listened to him and lowered his weapons even more while seemingly thinking about Chan’s words. It was enough for the wolf hybrid. </p><p>“Thank you”, Chan involuntarily breathed out in relief. A harsh sting in his shoulder remained him of his wounds. The pain they caused him got worse because he was stupid enough to shift into his human form but he tried to not show it to the human as the last bit of defense he allowed himself to have right now. </p><p>“Why are you thanking me? I should kill you on the spot without having any kind of mercy”, the human said, looking at Chan with both confusion and fear. He was raising his weapons a little but still not making any kind of move. He didn’t want to attack he was just scared. Chan could see that. </p><p>“Do you want to attack me?”, Chan questioned while he subconsciously brought a hand up to his shoulder to cover his wound a little. The human seemed to be taken by surprise because of that question. It made him almost drop his weapons. </p><p>“It’s my duty as a hunter to protect the human kind from creatures like you”, he exclaimed loudly but he got quieter with every word he said until the last word was a mumble. The male looked at the dark brown crystal dangling around his neck, which got noticed by Chan now. </p><p>The wolf hybrid didn’t know much about hunters but it was enough to say that they were the major threat for the supernatural world, so having a young hunter standing in front of him was terrifying but Chan knew that this hunter was just a kid like him. He didn’t want to fight and he didn’t want to kill. Just like Chan. </p><p>“Do you want to kill me?”, the wolf hybrid asked, hoping that he wasn’t playing his cards wrong and therefore risking his life more than he already did now. The male looked at Chan again with a conflict in his black orbs. Now more than ever it was obvious that this young hunter didn’t want to kill, he didn’t want to fight. </p><p>“We don’t need to fight each other”, the wolf hybrid mumbled but it was still audible to the young hunter. “We don’t need to fight a battle, which isn’t ours”, he added, looking the young male into his eyes. The young hunter shook his head, fear and confusion written all over his face. </p><p>“My parents will kill me for this”, the young male said probably to himself while completely lowering his weapons. He wasn’t going to fight or hurt Chan despite the things he said. </p><p>Chan cracked a little smile. This whole situation wasn’t completely hopeless they could make peace with the humans and even with the hunters if they tried hard enough. If they tried to undertake one another. </p><p>Suddenly the young hunter’s face lit up with alarm and fear. Chan wanted to turn around quickly but before he could he was harshly hit on his wounded shoulder, making him scream in pain and fall to his knees almost automatically. He wiped his head around to see a tall female human loom over him but her gaze was directed to the young hunter Chan had talked to. </p><p>“You are too naive for your own good, Michael”, the female shouted at the young hunter, making the young one flinch and clench his weapons defensively. The huntress turned her head back to Chan, drawing her weapon. The wolf hybrid rolled to the side when the huntress attempted to stab him with the silver dagger she had drawn. </p><p>Chan regret transforming into his human form because now he was too weak to change into his wolf form quickly enough, meaning he was screwed. The woman tried hitting him again but he dodged successfully once more while scrabbling to his feet. </p><p>“Let me just end your misery, wolf”, the huntress hissed while swiftly unsheathing another dagger from her belt. Chan could smell, that this dagger must have been dunked in a special poison for werewolves and wolf hybrids because only the scent already burned itself into his nose making the wolf hybrid feel dizzy but that could also be because of the blood lose, which was slowly adding up. </p><p>Almost desperately did the young hybrid dodged another hit from the woman but he accidentally crashed his already bleeding shoulder into the trunk of a tree behind him. “Just give up”, the woman screamed at him, anger and frustration clearly audible in her voice but Chan knew it wasn’t only directed at him. It was a general anger and hatred to towards every supernatural creature out there. </p><p>The wolf hybrid stepped back, trying to get some space between the huntress and himself but she wasn’t having that in any way. She just followed and initiated another blow with the poisoned  dagger Chan knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge fast enough. It would at least graze him no matter what he did now. That was it. He couldn’t but up a bigger fight but before the woman could attack him again, an extremely strong blow of wind pushed her off her feet. </p><p>Next thing Chan knew was, that he was surrounded by black feathers and tightly wrapped up in a hug from behind he instinctively knew he shouldn’t fight. Subconsciously the wolf hybrid let himself fall back, leaning onto the person, who just saved him. </p><p>“To the gods. I came just in time”, the person behind Chan sighed in relief and the wolf hybrid instantly knew it was Byungho. “You did”, the silver-haired male replied before everything that happened take its toll on him. He blacked out completely.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0051"><h2>51. Comfort</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After returning from the battle at the moon pack everyone is in need of comfort.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everything was just black. There was no sound, no light, no scent, nothing to feel, everything was just black. Chan couldn’t even feel the pain from his wounds anymore. Was he dead? No, no there was no way he could be dead. He still needed to protect Yedam. Wait, where even was Yedam, where was he himself? Was he still at the moon pack territory in the middle of a battlefield? Was he somewhere else? Was he safe? Was Yedam safe?</p><p>Chan began to slowly panic while asking himself those questions. He had no clue where he was, if he was okay or if he was just dead and this seemingly infinite blackness was the afterlife but he calmed down when he felt a calming present beside him. It was warm and comforting and let Chan’s mind come to peace. </p><p>The next thing he could feel was a warm hand which was holding his own. He felt how his knuckles were carefully caressed like he was made of glass. It seemed far away but slowly the wolf hybrid could pick up voices around him. They were too quiet to understand but enough to prove that Chan was still alive and not dead yet. </p><p>The feeling for his body returned along with his hearing. He was laying on something soft while being surrounded by something warm and comfortable, so he guessed he was resting in a bed, covered under a comfy blanket. There was still this dull stinging in his right arm and his left shoulder, reminding him of the wounds he had received. The wolf hybrid released a breath. He seemed fine as far as he could tell now even though his eyes still felt too heavy to open them. </p><p>“Channie?”, he heard a soft voice speak up beside him. The grip on his left hand became a little stronger but it was still light enough to not hurt him in any way. Chan knew the soft voice belong to Byungho just by the sound of it but the nickname, which only the brunette used was also a giveaway. </p><p>The voice of Byungho alone made Chan long for enough strength to wrap his arms around his mate and never let go but for now he was too weak to even open his eyes. </p><p>“Hyung are you awake? Please hyung wake up”, another voice joined Byungho’s. Chan wanted to cry out in that moment because the second voice clearly belonged to Yedam. The younger sounded like he was completely fine. He didn’t sound scared, hurt, sad or traumatized just a bit worried but that was plainly because of Chan’s semi-unconscious state. </p><p>“Let him rest a while longer, Yedam. He will wake up when he feels strong enough”, a third voice spoke up. Never in his whole life was Chan more relieved to hear his mother’s gentle and caring voice. The young silver-haired male silently thanked the gods for keeping his family safe and then began differing off to a much needed sleep. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Hesitantly Johnny knocked onto the door of Taeyong’s office door. He hissed lowly when this simple action shot pain through his whole right arm. “Damn this stupid huntress”, the male internally cursed but then mentally thanked Taeil for patching him up with his magic when the pain was numbed again not even five seconds later. </p><p>There was no answer from the inside of the room, so Johnny just opened the door finding his leader seated behind his big desk with his head in his hands. This sight alone made the harpy angry all over again but he needed to be calm and collected for the sake of everyone in the NCT headquarter as well as his leader. </p><p>“Taeyong?”, Johnny announced his presence again while closing the door behind him. The guardian with the red hair flinched a bit but relaxed as soon as he realized it was just Johnny, who had entered his office. The guardian straightened his back, raising his head and folding his hands on the table. </p><p>He seemed composed now but Johnny knew the guardian for too long to not notice the light tremble in the other’s shoulder and the dull dark blue eyes, which had a very faint red rim. Taeyong wasn’t okay, Johnny could see that. </p><p>“Did something happen?”, Taeyong asked with a unusual monotone voice. He raised his gaze from his desk to look at the harpy, who was walking towards his desk. Being a bit nearer to the guardian made the exhaustion in the dark blue eyes a lot more visible. Still, Taeyong seemed to refuse to show how tired he was or how much he was suffering from today’s event. </p><p>“Nothing happened. I’m just checking on you”, Johnny answered with a hint of exhaustion in his voice he couldn’t manage to hide. He internally cursed at himself, knowing that the last thing Taeyong should worry about right now was him. </p><p>“I’m fine”, the guardian got out with more effort than he wanted. It clearly was a lie. A complete, unmissable lie. Taeyong wasn’t fine at all even though they won the battle at the Moon Pack and took some hunters and huntresses captive, who were currently being interrogated by Yuta, Sicheng, Mark, Yukhei and Jungwoo. </p><p>Still this day marked a new, terrible part of the supernatural creature’s history. It marked the day they were officially exposed to the human society, the day the vampire king and queen died leaving their eighteen year old son to lead their kind in a time of crisis, the day were NCT, one of the groups, who had sworn to protect the supernatural world lost two important members. </p><p>They won but also lost. They could fight off one attack of the hunters but it was all just one part of Zendala’s big plan that was sure. The female warlock seemed have thought everything through. She knew the hunters wouldn’t win the battle at the moon pack, which was why she somehow managed to let a lot of them escape, leaving only a few for NCT and the groups to catch. </p><p>Johnny ripped himself out of those thoughts and once again focused on Taeyong. He knew the other male blamed himself for what happened and probably even doubted his position as a leader and guardian. This was the reason he pretended to be fine while everyone else allowed themself to heal by not suppressing their emotions. </p><p>“You aren’t fine, Taeyong. Currently nobody is”, Johnny mumbled the last part. Taeyong stood up from his sitting position abruptly, pushing his big swirling chair back while slamming his hands onto his desk with full force. The enchantments Yuta and Sicheng put on the headquarter were silently thanked for by Johnny because a normal desk and floor wouldn’t have stood a chance against this blow from the red-haired guardian. </p><p>Johnny couldn’t see his leader’s face because Taeyong’s gaze was fixed onto the desk’s surface. Without saying a word he turned around to face the big window behind the desk instead of the brown-haired harpy while crossing his arms over his chest in a protective manner. </p><p>A little sigh escaped Johnny before he walked around the big desk, so he could hug Taeyong’s smaller frame from behind. “Stop saying you are fine when you aren’t”, the harpy mumbled while holding the red-haired guardian, who was desperately trying to stay composed, in his arms. It broke Johnny’s heart when the smaller male began to tremble, losing the fight against his own tears. </p><p>“It’s my fault. I should have given them more back-up. I-I-I should have reacted quicker. It’s my fault they were injured and captured by Zendala”, Taeyong began to quietly cry. That Zendala’s goal was to capture Ten and Jaehyun was something nobody had seen coming, not Taeyong and as far as Johnny knew not Jisung, who had been the one to predict the battle at the moon pack. Still Ten and Jaehyun being captured was no one’s fault. Especially not Taeyong’s. </p><p>“It’s not your fault. Nobody even considered that Zendala was able to just teleport from Transylvania to the Moon pack camp out of nowhere and capture someone”, the harpy tried to assure his leader but Taeyong wasn’t having that. He shook Johnny off and brought some distance between them by walking a few footsteps to the side. Johnny didn’t follow him because he knew the guardian sometimes needed the space even though he wanted nothing more than to comfort the other male. </p><p>“I still should have known”, the guardian mumbled subconsciously digging his fingers into his arm. Johnny bit his lip. Taeyong was a guardian and therefore one of the most powerful creatures to exist but he couldn’t see into the future or know everything. He had limits even with the enormous amount of  magic he could use. </p><p>“Even as guardian you have limits. You can’t protect everyone at all times. You can’t be at more than one place. You can’t know everything if it isn’t shown or said to you”, Johnny argued in soft, reassuring voice.</p><p>Suddenly Taeyong turned around sharply, looking at Johnny with tears streaming down his face. His usually kind, caring and reassuring blue eyes were filled with nothing but sadness and anger, his lips trembled lightly and his hands were balled into fists. </p><p>“I should have known, not because I’m a guardian but their soulmate! I should have listened to this little voice in my heart, which told me something was up minutes before Ten crashed to the ground with a jade dagger in his back! I should have known they needed help before Jaehyun screamed out my name with the last bit of strength he had! I should have ripped Zendala apart the second I saw her standing over Ten with Jaehyun grabbed by the neck but before I could do anything she disappeared with a smirk on her lips because she knew she won even though the hunters lost!”, the guardian lashed out in anger and sadness. </p><p>Johnny watched this, keeping up his calm expression while Taeyong breathed heavily with even more tear leaving his beautiful blue eyes. “I failed as their leader and their soulmate”, the guardian brought out with a crack in his voice. His eyes dropped from Johnny’s face back to the ground and his shoulders slumped but before he could hang his head low his face was gentle cupped by the tall harpy. </p><p>“Which color does my soul have, Taeyong?”, Johnny asked rather sternly while looking directly into the guardian’s blue eyes. He knew the answer himself but he wanted Taeyong to say it, so he could remind him that it wasn’t all his fault. </p><p>Taeyong hesitated before choking out “Scarlet Red” as the answer. “And whose red is that?”, the harpy questioned using his softer voice again. “Mine”, the red-haired male breathed out and closed his eyes, avoiding Johnny’s now sad but warm, dark brown orbs. Johnny laid his forehead onto Taeyong’s while the guardian tried to not completely break down now. </p><p>“If you failed as their soulmate, I did too”, the harpy mumbled. </p><p>They stood there for a while with their foreheads put together. Taeyong slowly calmed down, letting his hands wander up to put them over Johnny’s. </p><p>“You would be a better leader than I am. You can stay calm in situations like this”, the guardian mumbled when he opened his eyes to look into the dark brown orbs of Johnny. The harpy showed his leader a lightly amused smile. </p><p>“You know yourself that a harpies are angry before they are sad. I probably would have gone on a killing spree if it wasn’t for the remaining members of our group and you”, the brunette chuckled. </p><p>A little soft smile made its way onto the harpy’s face the longer he looked at his soulmate. He would have done something reckless if it wasn’t for Taeyong and NCT. There was nothing Johnny wanted more than protect his group members and soulmates. Right now he only managed to protect one but it was also the one, who kept him sane. </p><p>“I love you, Lee Taeyong. That’s keeping me sane right now”, Johnny admitted and let hands fall from Taeyong’s face to disconnect their foreheads and stand straight again but the guardian wasn’t having that. With a swift movement the red-haired male laid his right hand onto the back of his partner’s neck to pull him down into a short kiss. </p><p>“I love you too”, the guardian mumbled almost shyly after pulling away from the kiss. He let go of Johnny, who couldn’t help but smile softly when he saw a certain determination back in the guardian’s eyes. </p><p>“Zendala messed with the wrong group if she thinks we will sit still now”, Taeyong began after a deep breath while he walked around the desk and towards the table, which was pushed to the east wall of the room. He was back to being an unmatchable professional. “She made a mistake by taking Ten and Jaehyun with her and we will use this against her”, the guardian continued and wiped the remaining tears away from his face with the sleeves of his sweater. </p><p>Johnny followed his leader and stood on Taeyong’s right side when he started to enchant the table to make the map of Yellow Wood and its surroundings visible. the guardian sounded like he was developed a plan even he hadn’t one already. </p><p>“Do you have a plan?”, the harpy asked looking at the map. “I still need to work out the details but overall yes. We will need everyone available, even the young ones but if it works we can end Zendala as well as the majority of the hunters with one strike and free everyone they are currently holding captive”, the guardian answered. </p><p>The harpy nodded scanning over the map of Yellow Wood. “So if your plan works the Lee brothers get their parents back, we our two missing soulmates and we can say bye bye to Zendala”, Johnny summarized in his own words. </p><p>“Yes and the first thing I will do after getting our boys back is tell Jaehyun that he has three soulmates he can’t escape from, may the rules be damn”, Taeyong said and he meant every word. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Waiting for something to happen was a terrible thing in Seungmin’s opinion. A very terrible thing. It had been hours ago since Chan along with a lot of other injured creatures had been brought to the NCT headquarter. Seungmin had been more than relieved to see that Byungho didn’t even have a scratch and since he as far as Seungmin knew saved Chan there were no consequences for his disobedience. </p><p>Still, most of the people, who came with the returning NCT members were badly injured. Apparently they were so many that at one point Donghyuck came to the group of friends and asked if anyone of them had any kind of training with medical magic. No one of them had but Jeongin had still asked if they could help in any way. Donghyuck had only shaken his head and disappeared again, leaving the seven friends in the common room. </p><p>Why seven? Because Chan was one of the creatures, who were heavily injured and Byungho, being his boyfriend and mate stayed with him because the older was the only one of their friends group, who possessed healing abilities. </p><p>Seungmin was basically the only one that knew of Byungho’s angelic healing powers, which came in very handy in situations like this. It made the younger wish he was like his older brother. As a demon Seungmin would never be able to heal anybody without consequences. Those consequences weren’t a direct problem for him though but they would harm the person he had tried healed. </p><p>The redhead was so caught up in his head he didn’t notice how silent the common room had become. He only noticed it when Hyunjin stood up abruptly and loudly exclaiming: “I can’t take this silence anymore” </p><p>“Hyung, calm down”, Jeongin tried to calm his cousin down. Hyunjin wiped his head around almost glaring at the kitsune. “No! We have been silently sitting there for I don’t know how long. It felt like an eternity”, the siren argued, clearly irritated but Seungmin knew the other was just scared like they all were right now. </p><p>“We still don’t really know what’s going on exactly. We were briefly told the humans declared war to us and exposed us to the whole human world. A really helpful information if it would have been more elaborated. Thanks to Jisung we know the pack Chan-hyung was staying with had been attacked but we still don’t know what went down there. We don’t know if that fight was won, we don’t even know how many of those who returned from this battle are injured, we only know that it must be so many that NCT seemingly can’t handle it on their own anymore”, the siren began to rant while pacing the room up and down. </p><p>Seungmin glanced at the Lee brothers while Hyunjin continued to rant. It had been hours ago, that the hunters officially declared war to the supernatural world but the two cat hybrids still didn’t know what had been done to their parents. This thought reminded the young demon of another horror he had seen, making him subconsciously squeeze Changbin’s hand he was still holding. </p><p>The redhead hadn’t let go of the vampire’s hand since he took it after they saw what had happened to the vampire king and queen. He also wasn’t planing on letting go until he was one hundred percent sure the shorter male was okay. Changbin had stayed completely silent through the hours of their waiting and it scared Seungmin because his eyes hadn’t stopped glowing in a terrifying tone of red. The redhead had no clue what this meant since he had never seen it before. Not on Changbin and not in any sort of book in his father’s library. Maybe that was what was scary him the most, not knowing what was wrong with his friend. </p><p>“You know Hyunjin it sounds like you want to know everything about this situation even those information that are purposely kept from us for a good reason”, Changbin suddenly spoke up startling not only Seungmin but almost everyone in the room. Hyunjin even stopped his pacing and looked at the black-haired vampire with slightly widened eyes. </p><p>Seungmin was even more surprised when he noticed, that the red color of Changbin’s eyes had reduced when the vampire looked up to face everyone. “I just want to know what’s going on and not being treated like a little child“, Hyunjin almost whined, looking at the vampire. “We are children”, Jeongin mumbled on the side, earning another glare from the siren. </p><p>“I’m pretty sure the youngest of NCT know more than we do and they are a little younger than us”, Hyunjin argued, shutting the young kitsune up effectively. It was almost a wonder. </p><p>“So you want to be treated as an equal to groups like NCT?”, Changbin questioned getting Hyunjin’s attention back. “If that means getting answers, yes”, the siren answered, crossing his arms over his chest. </p><p>Seungmin looked back and forth between Changbin and Hyunjin. He didn’t have a clue what Changbin was going for or what he wanted to achieve with this but he saw no reason to interfere yet. Glancing at Jisung, Minho and Felix told him that those three pretty much felt the same way. </p><p>“Alright then”, Changbin breathed out and stood up, automatically letting go of Seungmin’s hand to the dismay of the demon. Hyunjin was a bit confused when Changbin joined his side in front of their remaining five friends. </p><p>“Does everyone feel the way Hyunjin does?”, the vampire asked. Everyone was a bit unsure at that point, even Seungmin, who wanted to know everything that was going on in his surroundings because he believed that knowledge was power. This situation was tricky and scary enough to have the redhead question if he really wanted to have access to every little detail. After all he didn’t want to see someone getting killed again.</p><p>“Well kinda. It sucks to be left in the dark all the time but maybe there are reasons for it”, Felix admitted, absentmindedly playing with the sleeves of Jeongin’s shirt since the younger was seated to his left. “But Hyunjin does have a point”, the ginger then added, looking up. </p><p>“If everyone here wants to have access to information the groups receive on a daily base we just need to form a group ourselves”, the vampire said. Seungmin blinked at Changbin. Did he mean that or was this just some sort of trick?</p><p>“That doesn’t guarantee that we get the information we want. There are enough groups out there who are possible more clueless than us”, Minho argued, raising a brow. Seungmin had to agree with Minho on that. Even if they formed a group there would be no guarantee they would just be part of everything unless Changbin planed on using his status to his advantage. </p><p>“Your are right about that hyung but most groups don’t have two children of clan leaders and ...”, Changbin started to say but he trailed off while the red in his eyes became a bit more prominent again. Seungmin knew why Changbin was struggling with this right now because he technically wasn’t the vampire prince anymore. To Seungmin it felt like an instinct to help the vampire. </p><p>“The vampire prince in their rows”, Seungmin finished what the vampire said and stood up to stay by Changbin’s side, taking the older’s hand again. He would help Changbin even if he had to lie a little.  </p><p>“With Changbin-hyung, Felix and Minho-hyung in one group we would have an valid argument to receive important information because of their situation and position in this chaos of a situation. Nobody would be able to say no”, the redhead added. </p><p>Minho still looked skeptical but Felix was convinced and stood up, dragging Jeongin along with him. “I am in”, the ginger said, joining Hyunjin’s side. “You can’t just drag me along, hyung”, Jeongin whined a bit. “You don’t want to join?”, Hyunjin asked his cousin in confusion and a bit offended. “I never said that. Count me”, the kitsune huffed and showed a little smile. </p><p>The attention was now on Minho and Jisung, who still sat on the couch. The cat hybrid with the hazelnut brown hair looked skeptical while Jisung seemed unsure of what to do. His sky blue eyes flickered between Seungmin and the others and Minho.</p><p> “What makes you think they will suddenly change their mind about keeping information from us just because we form a group?”, Minho asked. Seungmin internally hated the older for this kind of question because he really didn’t want to reveal what Changbin wasn’t sure sharing with them but he didn’t get to answer anyway. </p><p>“I already worked with Taeyong-ssi as the temporary vampire king. I was allowed to access any kind of information I needed. The rest was kept from even me to protect me because that is one of the things NCT along with the other groups like GOT7 and K.A.R.D do. They protect us from harmful things. I get that keeping the ones, who are indirectly involved in this mess, in the dark is necessary to keep them safe but it’s different in our case. We are too involved to not get annoyed and stressed because of missing information. We should know what’s going on”, Changbin began, making Seungmin a bit more worried because his eyes slowly wandered from looking at Minho and Jisung to the floor. </p><p>“If we form a group we can gain access to any kind of information because now I’m the official king of all vampires as well as some sort of key to an ancient but powerful vampiric artifact”, the black-haired vampire ended. There was a suffocating silence in the room while everyone was slowly connected the dots but Seungmin took it on himself to signal everyone what Changbin meant with “official king” by hugging the shorter male. </p><p>Hyunjin was the first to join the hug, laying his head on top of Changbin’s while mumbling a quiet “I’m so sorry, hyung”. Jisung was the next to join and almost crashed into the hug from the front, wrapping his arms tightly around the vampire’s chest. The warlock sniffled a bit, which made Seungmin remember that Changbin’s parents were theoretically Jisung’s adoptive parents even though he never met them personally. </p><p>Felix, Jeongin and Minho joined the hug too but without a real direct contact to Changbin. The vampire was just silent. He couldn’t look at the floor anymore since that way blocked by Jisung but he did hide his face by burying it into the warlock’s shoulder. </p><p>To Seungmin Changbin felt distant in the moment, like his mind was far away which he didn’t know was good or bad, so he decided to make use of his demon voice. That way he could sing to the vampire without anyone else hearing it. The redhead didn’t know if it worked to calm the vampire down like that even though he had done it once before already when Changbin had panic attack after the fire, which had destroyed the Sky Clan territory. </p><p>Changbin flinched a little when Seungmin began singing with his demon voice but then relaxed significantly. It made the redhead smile a little bit and continue singing. The vampire began to tremble after a while and sob lightly. “Thank you”, he cried quietly and Seungmin felt how Changbin’s grip on his hand tightened a bit.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0052"><h2>52. Stray Kids</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Stray Kids is finally formed.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Byungho slowly woke up from the slumber he hadn’t realized he fell into. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to being opened again and then was met with the sight of a still sleeping Chan. The silver-haired male looked very peaceful and at ease as the brunette noted but it still pained him to see his boyfriend in this situation. </p><p>A sigh escaped the brown-haired male’s lips when he slowly raised his head from his position on the edge of Chan’s bed. Byungho mustered his boyfriend to check if he seemed in pain or anything but the wolf hybrid was nothing but relaxed. His chest rise and fell with his even and regular breaths. There was just no sign of him being in pain. </p><p>“Seems like my magic really worked well”, Byungho mumbled to no one in particular while stroking his thump over Chan’s knuckles. He hadn’t let go of the wolf hybrid’s hand since the silver-haired male had been laid down onto the bed, maybe because a part of Byungho felt like if he did Chan would just disappear and never come back. </p><p>The brunette gritted his teeth a little while thinking back to the battle at the Moon Pack, how Chan fell limply into his arms after being almost killed by a huntress with a poised dagger made of silver. Even though Byungho wasn’t a violent person he really wished he had done more than just sweep the huntress off her feet and blow her far away with his wings. </p><p>For once in his life Byungho was really thankful for his gigantic, black wings because they had served as an efficient shield and easy accessible but not necessarily harmful weapon. He was also very glad he inherited enough of his mother’s angel powers to immediately treat Chan’s wounds efficiently. The wolf hybrid won’t even have scars if he didn’t shift or exercises for the next few days. </p><p>Byungho’s eyes once again scanned over Chan’s unmoving form. He wished he had reached the other earlier, so the other male would have been unharmed. Despite having his mother’s angelic healing powers Byungho now wished he also had inherited the ability to protect one specific person with a special kind of angelic shield. His mother had once briefly mentioned this kind of angel magic but had never talked of it again. She probably had realized that Byungho didn’t have this kind of power and therefore didn’t want to accidentally rub it into his face. Not having this special ability was most likely the tribute of Byungho’s demon side. </p><p>Byungho heaved out another sigh, getting his thoughts back to the current situation. There was no point in wishing for an ability he will never be able to learn. The brunette took his eyes off Chan after checking the other’s state one last time to search the room for a clock or something else that would tell him the time since he knew his phone was in his bag. Mentioned bag was still in the training hall’s changing room where he had left it when he arrived at the headquarter. </p><p>When the brunette male turned a bit to look over his shoulder he noticed how a blanket fell down. A little surprised, Byungho picked up the blanket with his free hand since the other was still occupied with holding Chan’s as gently as possible. </p><p>The brunette wondered, who had entered the room to put a blanket onto him since Mrs. Bang and Yedam, who had stayed with him an Chan for a while left before he fell asleep. He checked the room’s walls again and noted after one minute of looking around aimlessly that there really was no clock in here but something else caught brunette’s attention. </p><p>There was a tray on the little shelf besides the door with two plates with sandwiches on it along with a very familiar little device and a little note. The room was rather small, so Byungho just needed to stretch a bit to get hold of the familiar looking device and the little note. Turns out the little device was Byungho’s phone. </p><p>Without putting much thought into his action, the brown-haired male turned his phone’s display on and was met with a lot of notifications. A dozen missed calls from his mother as well as Wonpil, Woosu and Samuel and probably a thousand messages but the one message that mattered to him the most in this moment was from Seungmin, which said: “Don’t worry when you wake up and see all the missed calls and messages. I took care of it. Eve got behind our little deception and ...”. The message stopped there because the front screen didn’t show more. Byungho opened the message with a swipe to the right with his right thump and continued to read: “... and panicked quite a bit because she was very worried but I called her and explained everything. She wanted to come here too but according to Samuel and Woosu she was stopped by father. Lucky for us she didn’t tell him we aren’t in the house right now, which is good. If Chan and you are awake please text me. We need to talk to you about something important. By the way the sandwiches on the tray are made by Mrs. Bang. They are amazing, hyung, no joke.”</p><p>Byungho chuckled a bit at the end of the text message. He turned his display off again and balanced his phone on his thigh, so he could read the little note. In neat and quite beautiful handwriting there stood: “For our brave healer and sleepy wolf - B.Y &amp; B.A”. The brunette assumed B.Y stood for Bang Yedam and B.A for Bang Annabeth, Chan’s mother. More than ever Byungho admired Mrs. Bang because for one she took great care of her two sons even after her husband died years ago; she managed to be an very active and important Moon Pack member and had fought bravely for her pack in the battle at the moon pack without suffering an major injury, which showed her excellent fighting skills. </p><p>Suddenly Chan stirred a bit and automatically tightened his grip on Byungho’s hand, making the brunette turn his whole attention towards him in an instant. The wolf hybrid groaned and blinked a few times before opening his eyes fully. Byungho felt like the whole world became a bit brighter when Chan’s confused gaze met him, which was probably an odd thing to say. </p><p>“Good morning, Channie”, the brunette greeted his boyfriend while a warm smile made it’s way onto Byungho’s lips almost automatically. The confusion in the silver-haired male’s gaze was replaced by relief and a tint of delight. </p><p>“Is it even morning?”, Chan joking asked. Byungho was a little baffled. He forgot to look at the time on his phone, when he saw the many missed calls and messages. Chan laughed lightly, which meant it was written on Byungho’s face that he didn’t know either if it was morning, noon or evening. </p><p>The wolf hybrid’s light laughing made Byungho fall in love with the other a bit more. Of course he had heard Chan laugh multiple times before but this just felt a bit different. The other male just woke up from being unconscious for - Byungho still didn’t know how many - hours and still managed to laugh openly and sincerely. </p><p>“Just look at the time on your phone”, Chan chuckled after a while, where Byungho had zoned out and just admired his precious boyfriend. “Y-yeah sure”, Byungho stuttered lightly and looked at his phone, missing they way the wolf hybrid looked at him warmly. The brunette turned on his display and paid attention to the big digital numbers, which showed 10:36 am. </p><p>“It is morning. I was right”, Byungho huffed and showed the display of his phone to Chan, so the wolf hybrid could look at the time himself. “Good guess then”, the silver-haired male teased him a bit. Byungho huffed again to cover the light embarrassment he felt heating up the tips of his ears. </p><p>When the brunette took back his phone he was reminded of Seungmin’s message. “I need to write Seungmin that you are awake. As well as inform your mother and Yedam. They will probably be happy to see that you woke up so soon”, Byungho said, opening the chat he had with Seungmin. He quickly noticed that Seungmin wrote those message only around two hours ago. Hopefully the redhead had taken care of their worried family yesterday. If not he would never hear the end of it from his mother and brothers. </p><p>“Wait, how long was I even out of it?”, the wolf hybrid questioned while the brunette was typing on his phone. “Basically just a whole night since we returned to the NCT headquarter in the late afternoon”, the older of the two answered and sent the message he had written, which said that Chan was awake now and that Seungmin should also tell this Mrs. Bang and Yedam. </p><p>Byungho looked at Chan, who had turned silent, seemingly thinking about something. His gaze was focused on nothing in particular and he had a light frown on his face along with this questioning glimmer in his eyes. Chan almost always looked like that if he thought about something serious, which made Byungho be concerned about the other. </p><p>“What are you thinking about?”, the brunette asked, sounding a bit worried. “Rather unimportant things honestly”, the wolf hybrid answered, slightly shaking his head and looking back at Byungho. Byungho wasn’t entirely convinced but he didn’t want to interrogate his boyfriend right now, so he just believed the slightly younger male. </p><p>“I should sit up. My head feels so weird”, the silver-haired hybrid changed the topic and tried to casually sit up. He lowly hissed in pain when he made an unnecessary movement with his shoulder, which instantly alarmed Byungho. </p><p>“Goodness be more careful”, Byungho lightly scolded. He let go of Chan’s hand so he could properly guide the wolf hybrid into a sitting position without putting any kind of pressure on the other’s injuries. </p><p>“Thank you”, Chan mumbled when he comfortable leaned onto the bed’s headboard. “You are welcome”, Byungho replied warmly, smiling a bit before his eyes fell onto Chan’s wounded shoulder. “Maybe I made a mistake when I used my powers”, the brunette thought to himself but he couldn’t confirm his suspicion since he wasn’t able to look through Chan’s clothed shoulder. He didn’t have X-ray vision, so he would need to ask. </p><p>“Would you mind if I take a look at your shoulder?”, the brunette questioned, looking into the wolf hybrid’s eyes again. Chan nodded without hesitation, signaling Byungho that he trusted him unconditionally. The brunette fought off a smile and dragged the loose grey shirt Chan wore down by the collar to exposed the hybrid’s left shoulder. Hidden under a white patch and bandages was the bullet wound Chan had received from an still unknown hunter. Maybe it was Byungho’s demonic side but part of him just really wanted to find and kill the hunter, who had shot Chan probably with the intention to kill the wolf hybrid. </p><p>Byungho chased those thoughts about this certain but unknown hunter away and focused on Chan’s shoulder. There seemed to be nothing unusual about the wound. The patch and bandages  covered it nicely and there was no visible blood. Still, Byungho need to check if he made a mistake with his magic. After all the last thing he wanted was Chan being in pain because of him. </p><p>“Does it hurt? Without movement I mean?”, the brunette asked dragging his gaze back to Chan’s face. “No, not really. Just hurts when I move I guess”, the wolf hybrid answered, glancing at his patched up wound before focusing back on Byungho. The brunette hummed as response and figured that he could very well use his powers again. Maybe it would ease the pain away, so Chan could recover even faster. </p><p>“I will try something so tell me when it hurts”, Byungho said, raising his hands up to Chan’s shoulder and letting them hover over the wound. He glanced at Chan, who showed him a little smile before focusing on his hands. </p><p>“I will”, the silver-haired male calmly answered. It amazed the brunette how much faith his boyfriend had in him - not that he was complaining but it made his heart sting a bit since Chan still had no clue what Byungho really was. At least that was what the brunette thought. </p><p>Byungho focused on the wound covered by the white patch and bandages and slowly unleashed his angelic healing powers. Bright light radiated from the brunette’s hands and the golden glimmer in his eyes became a bit more prominent when shining dust began to radiate under his hands, seeping through the white patch. The dust healed Chan’s rather deep bullet wound, repairing what needed to be repaired in a slow steady rhythm. </p><p>Byungho felt how he was losing focus and took his hands away from Chan’s wound, letting the shining dust and the golden glimmer in his eyes disappear. He didn’t want to risk hurting Chan just because he lost his concentration. </p><p>For a short second Byungho closed his eyes and took a deep breath, regaining his focus and a bit of his energy. He hated how fast he reached his limit with such severe wounds but at least he healed Chan a bit more. Still, he should improve his healing abilities a bit more. </p><p>“Maybe I can really speed up his healing process by continuing to use my angelic powers on his wounds more frequently but I need to talk about it with mum before doing anything that may have negative consequences for Chan”, Byungho mentally told himself before opening his eyes again. Chan looked at him with so much awe he almost got shy. </p><p>“You are so amazing Byungho”, the wolf hybrid probably blurt out his thoughts. Now Byungho became officially shy. He could feel the tips of his ears and cheeks burn up but he hoped it wasn’t too obvious. </p><p>“It’s not that special. More important his how you feel now”, the brunette said, hoping the other would let him switch the topic. “I am totally fine”, Chan chuckled and smiled heartily. It made Byungho mentally note that if he someone tried to lay a hand on Chan again he would murder that person without hesitation and if he had his wings to do that. </p><p>Suddenly the door bursted open, revealing Yedam shortly followed by Mrs. Bang. “Hyung!”, Yedam cried out and wanted to hug Chan with fully force but he was kept from that by his mother, who held onto his arm. </p><p>“Not so fast. He is still injured”, she reminded her younger son in the soft voice of a mother before she let go of him. Yedam seemingly wanted to obey her but when Chan opened his arms with glossy eyes the younger still managed to jump into his brother’s embrace with enough force to elicit a pained grunt from him. </p><p>“Oh my gods. I am so sorry”, Yedam immediately apologized and wanted to get off his older brother but Chan just held him close. “Don’t worry, Byungho’s magic works great”, he mumbled into the younger’s shoulder but it was still audible to everyone in the room. </p><p>Byungho found the scene before him just heartwarming and made him almost forget about Mrs. Bang, who now stood on his left. “Thank you again, Byungho”, she thanked the brunette, laying her hand onto the male’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. Byungho looked up to her and wanted to tell her yet again, that there was nothing to thank him for but when he saw the unlimited gratitude and warmth in the woman’s dark, glossy eyes he decided against it. </p><p>“I would do it again anytime”, Byungho answered looking back to the two wolf hybrid brothers. The two slowly let go of each other but Yedam remained seated on Chan’s lap, looking a lot younger than he actually was. </p><p>“You two aren’t injured, are you?”, Chan then asked, looking to his mother and then back to Yedam. Both shook their head. “Nothing you should worry about, dear. We are really fine thanks to the members of various groups”, Mrs. Bang said, ruffing her son’s silver hair with a warm smile on her lips. Chan seemed even more relieved now. </p><p>“We should inform Taeil-ssi and Taeyong-ssi that you are awake. Come on, Yedam”, Mrs. Bang added gesturing her younger son to follow her. “But mum I want to stay with hyung”, the young wolf hybrid whined, leaning onto Chan again while pouting like a toddler. His older brother could only chuckle. </p><p>“I know but I think Chan and Byungho have something to discuss with their friends”, she responded nodding towards the still open door. There was no one but after Mrs. Bang said that Seungmin walked in with an apologetic smile on his face. Somehow Byungho was sure someone pushed him in here.</p><p> “We can wait if necessary”, the redhead dismissed the topic but Mrs. Bang lightly shook her head, looking back to Yedam, who was still pouting like a small child but you could see he understood. Yedam grumbled something nobody could really catch but it seemed to be funny enough for Chan to chuckle. Yedam completely released his older brother by standing up and walking over to his mother. </p><p>“We will come back in three hours. We will knock and don’t forget to eat your sandwiches, you two”, she said, looking at both Chan and Byungho. “We won’t. Thanks, mum”, Chan smiled, showing his dimples a little bit. Byungho added a small “Thanks” and mirrored his boyfriend’s smile as a way of being polite. </p><p>Mrs. Bang was seemingly pleased with that and patted Byungho’s shoulder before walking towards the door with Yedam trailing behind her. “If anything happens, we will be in the room at the end of the corridor”, the woman added before passing Seungmin and leaving the room completely, giving the boys privacy. </p><p>Not even a second after Yedam and Mrs. Bang were out of the door the remaining six of their friends pilled into the room. Chan was almost crushed by a hug from Felix and Jisung, which made even Byungho wince and he had no wounds or anything similar. </p><p>“Hyung you got no idea how glad we are you came back to us safe”, Felix mumbled. It was almost a wonder Felix and Jisung didn’t accidentally press on the wolf hybrid’s wounds. Hyunjin would have probably hugged the older silver-haired male too if he didn’t make it his personal mission to be in some way attached to Changbin. </p><p>“Felix, Jisung. I need air”, Chan chuckled after a while, patting the backs of his younger friends. The two immediately let go of the wolf hybrid and the looks on their faces said that they were seriously worried about the other. Byungho understood their concern wholeheartedly. </p><p>“Don’t look at me like that. I am fine thanks to Byungho”, Chan lightly laughed. Felix and Jisung seemed a relieved to hear that. “We are very glad you are okay, hyung”, a voice from behind Byungho chimed in. It was Jeongin, who showed the older one of his signature smiles while having his hands folded behind his back. </p><p>Even though the words seemed light Byungho still felt a kind of tension in the air, which made him remember Seungmin’s text. “Sorry to cut the smalltalk short but what do we need to talk about? Did something happen?”, the brunette asked, looking at his younger brother. </p><p>“A lot happened in the last time, hyung. I think you partly know that yourself and even though most of us are highly involved in this mess, which currently is our world we only know little bits and pieces but not the whole picture”, the redhead began, earning a rather confused look from Chan. Byungho didn’t understand the redhead’s point either but he had known Seungmin almost all his life, therefore he was certain the other would explain himself. </p><p>“To make this simple, we want to form a group with the nine of us, so we can gain access to information we want and have a right to know”, Seungmin quickly concluded to make it understandable for both Chan and Byungho. </p><p>Byungho didn’t know how to feel about this but when he glanced at Chan he saw the other’s eyes lit up at the mention of group but it disappeared being replaced by a vary look. “This sounds like something temporary”, the silver-haired male spoke out the thought, which had probably crossed his mind just  second prior. </p><p>“It won’t be if we want it to be permanent”, Changbin suddenly spoke up, having a rather monotone voice. Byungho turned his head around to look at the vampire noting how his usually black eyes were currently a dark shade of red. It worried Byungho a little bit. </p><p>“The initial use of us forming a group is gaining information, so we can properly react to the current situation of our world. We can remain a group even if our goal is reached and our world back to its order”, the small male proceeded to explain. “Now the question is if you are in or not”, Changbin wanted to know, looking at both Byungho and Chan. </p><p>“I seemingly need to catch up on a lot”, the wolf hybrid said, glancing at Byungho. Chan seemed like he was silently asking if the brunette’s answer to this idea was yes or no. For a short moment Byungho felt hesitant to agree to this idea but in the end he would just be more connected to his friends. There would be no harm done.</p><p>With that settled the male with the brown hair gave Chan a short, barely noticeable nod as answer. “I am in”, Chan said with a certain confidence, which was followed by a “Me too” from Byungho. </p><p>“Alright, so we need to think of a name, a symbol and make someone the official leader”, Felix chimed in after that. The ginger was still seated on Chan’s bed along with Jisung. </p><p>“This could take a while”, Minho huffed, walking over to the bed as well and casually seating himself behind his boyfriend, so he could hug the younger from behind. Chan pulled his legs up, so he sat cross-legged providing more space for the three males, which occupied the lower half of the bed. </p><p>Byungho pocketed his phone and the little note from Mrs.Bang before he rearranged the position of his chair, so it’s backrest was facing the wall beside Chan’s bed. He also gave the wolf hybrid his sandwich, while the rest of their friends made themselves comfortable somewhere. </p><p>“Has anyone an idea for a group name?”, Jeongin asked after a short silence. The kitsune was leaning onto the wall beside the door. </p><p>“Maybe Rookies?”, Felix cautiously suggested, dragging the ‘i’ of ‘Rookies’ a little bit. He seemed unsure of his own idea. Byungho thought it was quite catchy but they would probably be seen as rookies for their whole life with that name. </p><p>“Felix that sounds awful”, Minho commented, wrinkling up his nose. “Make a better suggestion”, the ginger huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned back, so he was resting against the wall. Minho seemed to think for a short moment before he got an idea. </p><p>“Lost Kids because we all have no clue what he are doing”, the older responded. Byungho had to refer from laughing at this one. “That’s even more awful”, Felix retorted. The ginger huffed again and looked away from his brother. </p><p>“You are both awful with giving names to things”, Jisung chimed in. He shook his head in light disappointment. “Agreed”, Seungmin snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. “Make a better suggestion then”, Minho replied with a lightly teasing grin on his face. </p><p>Byungho had to admit just watching his friends was quite amusing. They managed to joke around a little bit even in a time, which was seemingly more dangerous than the brunette had imagined. He continued to watch them argue while eating his sandwich, which really was as good as Seungmin had said in his text. </p><p>A part of him worried about Changbin since the short male just sat on the ground silently. Sure he had Hyunjin attached to his back, which should make Byungho feel a bit more at ease but he wasn’t sure if Changbin registered Hyunjin’s touch. He just looked completely out of it. </p><p>“I have a name”, Chan suddenly chimed into the bickering of his friends, gaining everyone’s attention rather quickly. “What about Stray Kids?”, he asked looking into the round. Byungho like the sound of that name and not because it was Chan’s suggestion. </p><p>“That’s a good name”, Felix said, showing a rather bright smile. “I like that suggestion too”, Byungho agreed with the ginger. “It does sound acceptable”, Seungmin thought out loud, tapping his right pointer finger on his chin. </p><p>“Does anybody have something against that name?”, the redhead asked and almost everyone shook their head. Changbin remained without much motion, letting Byungho’s worry for the vampire increase. On the other hand he did also notice how Hyunjin laid his head on the vampire’s shoulder, letting Changbin look at the siren for a short moment. Hyunjin showed the vampire one of his pretty smiles when their eyes met. </p><p>“Alright we still need a symbol and declare a leader”, Seungmin spoke up while looking around a bit. Byungho should have known that Seungmin would be the one, who had the knowledge they needed to form a group properly. It was just the redhead’s thing to be prepared for almost everything. </p><p>“I already have a symbol in mind. Does someone have a piece of paper and a pen?”, Chan asked. “Sure”, Seungmin said, pulling out a folded piece of paper and a pen from the pocket of his hoodie. He brought the two items to Chan, who then let Felix turn his back to him, so he could properly draw. The wolf hybrid surprised everyone though when he didn’t really draw but write. </p><p>In the end he present his friends his symbol idea. It was Stray Kids - or SKZ for short - written in a special handwriting, which Byungho could identify as just Chan’s. </p><p>“That looks so cool”, Felix cheered, basically speaking out loud what everyone was thinking. The ginger’s eyes shimmered with pure excitement while he mustered what Chan had created. </p><p>“Yeah my idea was, that our basic symbol is the whole name Stray Kids written like this”, he said and pointed at the specially written ‘Stray Kids’. “But the group symbol we will have on our body is just its short form, SKZ”, he continued and again showing what he meant by pointing at the piece of paper he held up. </p><p>“Hyung this is genius”, Jisung said, looking at the two “symbols” on the paper in amazement. Byungho could understand the warlock’s excitement because he like the symbol a lot too even though it was only the group name in Chan’s handwriting. </p><p>“Thank you”, Chan chuckled while smiling. His smile showed his dimples, letting Byungho’s lips curve a bit upwards too. Chan’s smile really was contagious. </p><p>“Good so we got that down too. Next is choosing an official leader since every group needs one”, Seungmin reminded everyone. “I am nominating Chan-hyung”, Jeongin proclaimed loudly. The siren had finally spoken up after being so quiet for most of the decisions. </p><p>“Why me?”, Chan chuckled nervously. He looked around a bit unsure. “Because you would make a great leader, hyung. There is no denying that”, Felix agreed with Jeongin instantly. Chan still seemed a bit hesitant, letting his eyes search for Byungho’s. The brunette gave the wolf hybrid an encouraging smile when they looked at each other. </p><p>In all honesty Byungho had to agree with Jeongin and Felix Chan would make a great leader. He was passionate, smart and caring; he thought a situation through before acting recklessly; he had a habit of helping others and he was one of the kindest persons Byungho knew. </p><p>“Well let’s turn this question around a bit”, Seungmin announced, gaining everyone’s attention. “Everyone, who thinks Chan-hyung shouldn’t be the leader raises their hand”, the redhead said and to nones surprise nobody raised their hand. </p><p>“Aren’t you expecting a bit much?”, the wolf hybrid questioned, looking around in the room. Byungho wanted to speak up but Changbin beat him to it. “No we don’t. You are a good leader, Chan-hyung”, Changbin spoke up, taking almost everyone by surprise. </p><p>“You are empathetic, kind, smart and selfless. You try to take care of everyone around you as well as protect them. Those are undeniable leader qualities, which didn’t get unseen as you may have noticed”, the vampire explained, sounding objective. Everyone agreed with Changbin making Chan laugh while Byungho saw the tips of his ears turn red. </p><p>“I guess I can’t say no then, can I?”, the wolf hybrid chuckled. “I’m the official leader of Stray Kids then”, he added, showing a light smile. Byungho just took Chan’s hand, letting the wolf hybrid glance at him for a short moment and then smile a bit wider. Chan would be a wonderful leader Byungho was sure of that. </p><p>“With that settled I can start creating the symbols and after we are all officially connected as a group, we will talk to Taeyong-ssi”, Seungmin suggested, letting Chan give him back the sheet of paper, so he could perform a spell on it. “You better start thinking about where you want to have your symbol”, he added with a light grin on his lips.</p>
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<a name="section0053"><h2>53. Information</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The older members of NCT discuss Taeyong’s plan and the newly formed group StrayKids wants to be informed about everything that has been going on.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I hate this plan so much”, Yuta voiced his opinion without hesitation. He had crossed his arms over his chest while a light scowl was visible on his face. Even if he hadn’t said, that he didn’t like the plan you would have known just by looking at the warlock with the purple hair. </p><p>“We can’t let the Dreamies take part in this plan. There is no guarantee we can keep them safe while going through with it”, Yuta continued while glaring a bit at his leader, who sat on the opposite side of him. Taeyong only sighed looking at the magical map in the middle of the big round table before him, net meeting Yuta’s eyes. </p><p>Taeyong had called in a meeting with some of the older NCT just one day after the battle at the Moon pack, so he could explain his plan to them. He had worked on the plan over the night along with Johnny. Meaning he wanted to hear the input of his group members but it did annoy him a bit that Yuta was immediately against the whole operation. He knew Yuta was a bit more protective over the younger members than the rest of NCT but the guardian hadn’t expected the warlock to be against his idea this much. Especially because of Ten and Jaehyun. </p><p>Taeyong exhaled deeply and finally met Yuta’s dark grey eyes, which stared straight at him. If the guardian wanted his plan to be an option he would need to convince Yuta but also the other members of NCT, which were gathered in the room. </p><p>“Listen, Yuta. I don’t like the thought of dragging the Dreamies into this either but even if we receive all the help from our allied groups we still need them there. We need them and their abilities for the plan to work”, the red-haired guardian explained. The warlock with the purple hair still looked displeased but he leaned back a little, seemingly willing to listen. </p><p>Sicheng, the blond male warlock with the purple eyes to Yuta’s right, who was also known as WinWin, eyed his fellow warlock worriedly before looking back to Taeyong like he was reassuring himself that the two wouldn’t start verbally fighting. Taeyong wasn’t planning on fighting with Yuta but he would no back down either. They needed to at least try his plan. </p><p>“Listen Yuta. Nobody of us likes getting the Dreamies involved in this because we all know they are too young to fight in a war but they are trained to protect our world. You taught Renjun, YangYang and Jisung yourself, you saw them develop their skills and you know how good they became in the course of a year”, Johnny spoke up beside Taeyong, immediately gaining everyone’s attention, including Yuta’s. The harpy seemed composed, sitting on his chair with a straight back and his hands folded on the table. </p><p>“They swore to protect our world just like we did when we became one of the four groups, who protected the barrier. We just can’t leave them out of this. They wouldn’t want that either”, the harpy concluded. Taeyong mentally thank Johnny for the help but also wondered how the harpy was able to seem so composed and attentive despite not having slept last night. </p><p>Taeyong’s attention flickered back to Yuta when the warlock straightened his back, leaning forward a little bit. His dark grey eyes shimmered with a bit of irritation, which made Taeyong brace himself for a yelling Yuta. </p><p>“They still aren’t experienced enough for operations like the one Taeyong-hyung is suggesting. Jisung is only 15 years old for the gods’ sake and the rest of the Dreamies aren’t much older. It needs only one little mistake and we would all die or end up as the hunters’ prisoners just like most of the members of the Sky Clan along with the many vampires, who mysteriously disappeared after the attack on the royal vampire palace. We also shouldn’t forget that they got Ten and Jaehyun, who were targeted by Zendala herself”, the purple-haired warlock argued, being clearly sarcastic while saying “mysteriously disappeared” because everyone now knew those vampires were held captive and a certain part of them had been used for the war declaration of the hunters just yesterday.</p><p>Taeyong lightly bit his lips, trying to come up with something to say. Yuta was right, that if the plan failed they would loose more than they could imagine but the guardian still believed they needed to try a rescue mission because if they succeeded they could safe not only Ten and Jaehyun but every other prisoner and take out Zendala. Yuta was just seeing the bad outcome, not the good one. </p><p>“You are just seeing the worst case scenarios. If we succeed in this mission we can free everyone the hunters kept prisoner and get the upper hand by defeating Zendala”, Taeyong reminded the warlock with the purple hair. Yuta slammed his hands onto the table, standing up from his seat, letting the chair almost fall. The irritated shimmer in Yuta’s dark grey eyes just became worse.</p><p>“It won’t end the war. The rest of mankind just will see us more as the monsters they think we are because with your plan we will be the ones attacking not them. As much as it hurts we can’t get the upper hand no matter what we do, so instead of trying something that will endanger our youngest ones along with everyone who takes part in it we should lay low, keep our vital bases safe and get everyone we can to safe havens like Atlantis, Aztlan or Lyonesse”, the warlock almost shouted. Maybe Taeyong would have raised his voice at this point but he didn’t feel like he had the energy to argue with Yuta properly. Still, he could feel anger bubble up in the pit of his stomach but he was pretty sure it wasn’t his own.</p><p>“We can’t sit around and wait for the hunters and Zendala to do their next move. We need to free everyone, who has been held captive by the hunters! You know what they did to the vampires! And now we have the opportunity to find them by tracking down Jaehyun and Ten”, Johnny spoke up, being clearly irritated but at least he didn’t slam his hands onto the table and started yelling like Yuta. </p><p>“Stop. All three of you”, Taeil finally spoke up in a stern tone. It caught the attention of Yuta, Johnny and Taeyong instantly. Taeil, who was usually calm, collected and quiet, now showed signs of light irritation. </p><p>“You are behaving like little kids”, the oldest in the room said, looking from Yuta to Johnny and then to Taeyong. “Of course because we have nothing better to do”, Yuta scoffed sarcastically. Taeil sent Yuta a cold glare, which made the warlock sit down in an instant. Taeil was scary when he was angry. The oldest of NCT then let a sigh escape him, which seemed to let all his irritation disappear. </p><p>“This situations sucks. It really does. We are all hurt, we are all stressed because Jaehyun and Ten were taken captive. It’s something we never thought could happen because they are stronger than most of us”, the guardian with the black hair began, using a surprisingly clam voice.</p><p>“We were hit in the face with the fact, that Zendala is one hell of a strong magical creature. For that reason alone should we try to take her out as soon as possible. The hunters are a lot weaker without her. They couldn’t teleport anymore, they couldn’t hide as well as now, they would be a lot easier to fight in the long run”, Taeil continued, letting his gaze wander to each person seated at the table. </p><p>“If we need the Dreamies for Taeyong’s plan to work then don’t argue about them being too inexperienced and get them in here so they can talk for themselves. They aren’t little children anymore. They can think for themselves and they also know their powers a lot better than anyone of us”, the black-haired guardian ended, looking at the table before him for a short moment before he looked up again. </p><p>The room had fallen completely silent while Taeil had talked. Yuta seemed to have calmed down completely and stared at the table in front of him like he was seriously considering something. When things got heated in situations like this one Taeyong was always thankful to have Taeil because the older guardian always kept a cool head and rational mind. He was always the voice of reason and if Taeyong was honest with himself sometimes Taeil seemed more like a leader than he did. </p><p>“Taeil-hyung is right”, Doyoung spoke up for the first time ever since had entered the room. He sat to Johnny’s left and hadn’t voiced his opinion yet, which was a bit unlike him but considering yesterday’s events it was understandable.</p><p>“Even though Yuta made some valid points we can’t just let everyone, who was taken by the hunters, rot just because we are too scared to take a risk. If we can find them and somehow free them we have to try”, the banshee with the violet hair said. He looked around the room for a moment.  </p><p>“I am siding with Doyoung on this”, Kun, who has stayed silent until now, spoke up. Taeyong had tp refer from looking away from the brunette because of the white patch on the werewolf’s cheek. Kun had received some minor injuries from the fight at the moon pack because he was one of the offensive fighters in NCT, therefore, he was met with hunters directly. </p><p>Taeyong ripped himself out of his thought when Kun looked at the last person in the room, who had said nothing until now. Sicheng. </p><p>The blond warlock was the youngest in the room with only 19 years but he was probably one of the best healers Taeyong ever saw and he grew up besides Taeil, whose guardian ability was to heal. </p><p>A sigh escaped Sicheng when the room’s attention was on him. “Taeil-hyung is right. We are obligated to try a rescue mission. We already failed to protect the barrier, we can’t fail protecting the creatures in need”, Sicheng agreed with NCT’s oldest, glancing at Taeil briefly before he looked at Yuta. He seemed to hope that his partner and boyfriend had changed his mind. </p><p>Yuta looked a little defeated, tired even, which made Taeyong feel his own exhaustion creeping up his limbs. The warlock with the purple hair was probably the most short-tempered out of NCT but he was also a furious fighter if it came down to it. Seeing him drained from seemingly all energy was something entirely new to almost everyone here.</p><p>“I still disapprove of this but I’m in. We should talk it over with everyone though, so we can get as many input as possible, so it doesn’t flop and we all end up dead”, Yuta sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. Taeyong nodded in understanding, silently appreciating that the experienced warlock with the purple hair more or less agreed to go through with the plan. He also mouthed a silent “Thank you” to Taeil. The discussion would have gotten south if it wasn’t for him. The older received it with a barely noticeable nod. </p><p>“Let’s take a break before catching up the rest of our group. Meanwhile I will inform our allies about the plan and ask them to come here as fast as possible”, Taeyong concluded, dismissing everyone from the meeting. Yuta was the first one to leave the room, closely followed by Sicheng, who was seemingly very worried about his boyfriend. Doyoung left not long after them, probably walking straight to Jungwoo’s and Lucas’ current location to catch them up a bit. Kun stayed back along with Taeil. Johnny also remained seated. </p><p>“You two take a nap now”, Taeil commanded shortly after Doyoung was out of the door, obviously talking to Taeyong and Johnny. The two slightly younger males looked a bit taken back by the commanding tone of NCT’s oldest. </p><p>“Hyung I can’t-“, Taeyong tried to argue but he was immediately cut off. “You two developed this rather rough plan over night and it shows”, the older guardian said, gesturing towards the magical, blue map on the table, which illustrated the main idea of the plan. Taeyong wanted to protest since it sounded like Taeil wasn’t okay with the plan after all but the older guardian raised his hand, signaling that he wasn’t done talking yet. </p><p>“I’m not saying the plan is bad because it is not but you two are easily irritated today. It clouds your rational thinking, so go to your room, take a nap and let me and Kun take care of the rest”, the older went on, leaving no room for arguments. Taeyong looked over to Kun, who nodded in agreement.  A sigh escaped Taeyong while he once again had to realize how tired he was and unlike Johnny he couldn’t hide it very well from his group members. </p><p>“You are right. You are right as always, hyung”, the red-haired guardian admitted, standing up from his spot on the table. Taeil seemed pleased with that statement and leaned back into his chair a little. Johnny followed his partner’s lead, without saying anything since he probably knew that he wouldn’t come around the nap, Taeil wanted him to take. </p><p>“Have a nice cuddle session”, Taeil said with a little smile on his face when Taeyong and Johnny were almost out of the door. Taeyong didn’t have the energy to argue with Taeil on that since he was right. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep without Johnny beside him but he did feel his cheeks heat up when the harpy beside him shamelessly responded to Taeil with: “We will”. </p><p>——————</p><p>Jeongin became kinda nervous when everyone was ready to talk to NCT’s leader. They were officially a group now, united under one magical symbol with Chan as their leader. It was honestly a little exciting being connected with your friends like that but the current situation gave this an bitter undertone. The kitsune was aware of the fact, that he clearly didn’t know much about the difficult situation with the humans but he did pick up on the face that they in someway declared war to every supernatural being out there. He didn’t have any details yet but his gut told him he didn’t want to know while his head screamed for that kind of knowledge. </p><p>Without really noticing Jeongin rubbed his thumb over his new group symbol, which was on the back of his right hand. The group’s youngest chose this spot because he wanted to be able to see the symbol without needing a mirror. It meant a lot to him after all. Jeongin as well as Hyunjin never really had very close friends because they were something everyone consider to be special. Especially the young kitsune had only been talked to when someone wanted to get closer to his cousin. It had frustrated Jeongin because he wasn’t stupid and knew the goal of the people, who randomly started to talk to him but Miroh High was different. Of course there were some problems at the start but in the end Jeongin and Hyunjin became friends with people, who didn’t care what they were and what they could do. They were just accepted. </p><p>“Are you okay, Innie?”, the younger heard Felix ask. The kitsune raised his gaze to meet the ginger’s worried eyes. This alone made him feel warm and he noticed his heartbeat picking up a bit. Nowadays it was a common feeling for Jeongin when he looked at the ginger and he knew it was because he had a crush on Felix but now wasn’t the time for feelings, so he pushed it down like always. </p><p>“I am fine, hyung. Don’t worry. I just thought about some things. Nothing important”, the kitsune answered while smiling to reassure the ginger, that everything was really fine. Felix frowned a bit, seeming not completely believing the younger but they were interrupted by Chan speaking up. </p><p>“Is everyone ready now?”, he asked looking around. He was still seated on his bed because he was the one, who was injured but Jeongin knew the wolf hybrid wouldn’t stay still for much longer. </p><p>“As soon as Changbin has his shirt back on”, Jisung joked a little, earning himself an eye-roll from the vampire, who now had his symbol on his left chest, right above his heart. Jeongin almost forgot Seungmin had still been busy with putting the symbol on Byungho and Changbin when he zoned out. His brain somehow decided to tell him he was the last one while actually he was the second one who got his symbol since he decided rather quickly where he wanted it. The one before him was Chan, who decided to have his symbol on his right shoulder. It was rather basic spot but it suited the wolf hybrid very well in Jeongin’s opinion. </p><p>Seungmin cracked his knuckles and then wiggled his fingers a bit. Taking care of everyone’s symbol must have been exhausting but the redhead was literally the only one, who was able to do it. Jeongin really admired the slightly older male for his wide range of knowledge and quick learning but he would never admit that. </p><p>The redhead had his symbol on the left side of his neck. He said, he had no reason for that decision but Jeongin kind of doubted that a bit. The kitsune believed that everyone had a reason for the spot they chose for the symbol, just like him. For example Felix and Minho had their symbol on their thighs (Felix right, Minho left) because it had a meaning for cat hybrids. According to the two of them if a cat hybrid had their clan - or in this case group - symbol on their thigh it would give them strength in difficult times. </p><p>When Changbin had his shirt on again everyone got up to go to Taeyong. Chan would announce the newly formed group to him and Changbin would then ask to be given the information they wanted, which was basically everything. It was a very simple plan but one that would most likely work but at first they would walk to the room where Mrs. Bang and Yedam currently were to tell them the news. </p><p>This reminded Jeongin of his aunt. Ms. Hwang was well aware of the whereabouts of Hyunjin and him and even approved of them staying at the NCT headquarter over night due the war declaration of the humans. She was the reason Jeongin knew they were even at war but this also made him very worried about his aunt. Even though the kitsune called her “auntie” she was more of a mother to him since he never got to know his parents. He probably wouldn’t even know what they looked like if it hadn’t been for old photo albums his aunt had kept over the years. </p><p>The kitsune jumped a bit when he felt how someone took his hand. This someone was Felix, whose worried eyes met Jeongin’s once more but this time the ginger said nothing. He only dragged the younger along, so he wouldn’t be left behind. </p><p>Jeongin shook his head a little. He needed to focus on the current situations and not let his mind wander to the gods know where. The kitsune forced his mind to focus on Felix, who was dragging him to the room where Mrs. Bang and Yedam currently stayed. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too mad about Chan walking around already. </p><p>Chan was the one, who knocked on the door. “Mum? Yedam?”, he called for the two while knocking. “Come in, dear”, you could hear Mrs. Bang from the inside of the room. The group entered the room one by one. It was a rather large room, seemingly a closed off version of the common rooms, which were already familiar to the newly formed group. </p><p>“Did something happen?”, Mrs. Bang asked worriedly when the friends entered but her eyes lit up as soon as she spotted the barely hidden symbol on Chan’s shoulder. “You really did what we suspected”, she squealed in excitement and got up from her spot on the armchair, which was pushed back to the east side of the room. </p><p>“You have no idea how proud I am”, she said, while cupping her oldest son’s cheeks. “Now I will be completely left out from his life”, Yedam sighed dramatically in the background, making everyone at least chuckle. “Don’t be silly”, Mrs. Bang laughed a little, letting go of Chan, so she could walk up to her younger son and ruffle his black hair. </p><p>Mrs. Bang was a really kind and lovable woman in Jeongin’s opinion. Just like Chan she took care of everyone around her and made them feel welcomed and accepted. She supported her two sons without questioning anything and trusted them one hundred percent. Jeongin had to admit though that he was a bit surprised that Mrs. Bang didn’t get even a little bit mad at Chan walking around after waking up from his unconsciousness not long ago. </p><p>“So who became the leader of your group?”, Mrs. Bang then asked, sounding very interested. Chan shyly raised his hand, making the smile on Mrs. Bang’s face even wider. At this point you could call her the walking definition of proud. </p><p>“Oh my gods. Hyung, you will do amazing as leader”, Yedam cheered, basically voicing what everyone in the room thought. “Did you already talk to Taeyong-ssi about it? I am sure he would approve of new groups in such difficult times”, Mrs. Bang questioned, still with excitement in her voice. “We are on the way to him”, Byungho responded instead of Chan, who had slowly turned red from being praised so much. “Then get going”, Mrs. Bang ushered them all out of the room while some couldn’t contain their laughter due to the woman’s poorly hidden excitement. </p><p>Jeongin laughed a little too but to him the cute chuckling beside him seemed much more important right now. The kitsune was already aware of how cute Felix’s chuckle sounded but in that moment everything just blurred into the background and he only heard the ginger. </p><p>“Come on now”, Changbin urged, ripping Jeongin out of the fog, which made him only see and hear Felix. The vampire was the only one who hadn’t laughed and seemingly really wanted to talk to Taeyong now. Hyunjin was attached to the vampire’s left arm looking really worried about the older male but he said nothing. Normally Jeongin would have teased them about this but he was a bit worried about the vampire himself, so he was glad his cousin made it his mission to keep an eye on Changbin even if that included clinging onto him. </p><p> “Alright, let’s get going then”, Chan said, catching up to Changbin and Hyunjin, so he could walk beside them. The group walked to the main meeting room of the NCT headquarter because they thought Taeyong was there. Jeongin was still holding hands with Felix, not planning on letting go and time soon. </p><p>Subconsciously the kitsune’s gaze fixed itself onto the person before him, who was Jisung. The warlock’s symbol was on full display right now since he had it on his neck just like Seungmin. It was rather obvious why Jisung chose to have his symbol on his neck since everyone knew about the two tiny scars there. </p><p>Jeongin could feel a little bit of guilt when he thought back to the moment, where Jisung had desperately tried to hide the bite he had received from a vampire. Back then the kitsune had used his powers to trick the older male into accidentally revealing it to him. He wasn’t proud of that but in the retrospect it maybe had been necessary. </p><p>The door of the meeting room came in sight, making Jeongin a little bit nervous again but the warmth, which seemed to radiate from Felix’s small hand he was holding eased it away a little bit. Chan was the one who knocked on the door but Changbin was the one, who just opened it without waiting very long. The vampire sure was impatient right now. </p><p>The meeting room was almost empty since only Taeil was there, who was turned with the back towards them while being on the phone. </p><p>“No, no. Coups listen to me. There is- ...To the gods, Choi Seungcheol shut up and listen to me”, Taeil said into the phone sighing before continuing without noticing the group of young males behind him. </p><p>“There is nothing you can do to change your current situation. I know how important it is to take care of the people in the hidden cities like Atlantis, Aztlan and Lyonesse. Don’t stress yourself because of the rescue mission. We will handle it even without the help of Seventeen. I mean GOT7 will back us up even though they are still busy setting up the barriers in Yonaguni. So take care of the people, who currently need it and don’t worry about us”, the guardian went on. Everyone of Stray Kids kind of had the feeling they weren’t supposed to hear this but nobody made an attempt to leave the room. Taeil had paused again seemingly listening to Choi Seungcheol, the person on the other end of the line. </p><p>“Of course I will keep you updated. Take care, alright?”, Taeil ended the call after a short, soft chuckle and then turned around sighing like nothing was going according to plan. He was a bit startled after noticing the nine young males looking at him. </p><p>“How long have you been here?”, the guardian asked rather perplex. “Long enough to know that you won’t be getting help from Seventeen for your rescue mission”, Changbin immediately answered without hesitating for one bit. It was pretty rude in Jeongin’s opinion but Taeil only  sighed again, laying his head back so he was looking at the ceiling. </p><p>“I guess you are here for a reason, so ask away”, the guardian said, looking back to the group of young males. Jeongin could tell that the older had seen the group symbols on some of them since for a short second something lit up in the guardian’s eyes. Something you could describe as positive or at least Jeongin hoped so. </p><p>“We want every last bit of information NCT has about the current situation. What you know about the hunters, Zendala and their goals”, Changbin answered in a demanding tone, which made Chan elbow him a little bit. </p><p>“We just want to know what is currently going on and tell Taeyong-ssi that we formed a group”, the wolf hybrid added in a much nicer tone. Jeongin took note of the way Taeil seemed to analyze them. He didn’t know much about the man standing more or less in front of him, only that he was a guardian and had strong healing powers.</p><p>“That is understandable. Sadly Taeyong is currently unavailable but I think you won’t leave this room until you have the information you want. You are too determined for that”, Taeil said, walking a bit closer to the group. Somehow Jeongin became unsure if this has been a good idea. </p><p>“I will give you all the information you want but know that I will receive some as well”, the guardian warned, looking at everyone. Jeongin didn’t really know what this meant but he really had nothing Taeil could possibly want to know. Glancing at Felix reassured him that the cat hybrid thought like him or at least felt similar. </p><p>“Which kind of information will you get from us?”, Seungmin wanted to know. Jeongin glanced at the redhead, noting how the other’s shoulder seemed a bit tense. Was he hiding something that could be interesting to NCT or was Jeongin was interpreting too much into it?</p><p>“Everything you know which is related to this situation. May it be something you witnessed or just heard”, the guardian answered. Seungmin nodded at that and his shoulders relaxed again. </p><p>“Does someone don’t want to do this?”, Chan spoke up but everyone shook their head. They founded a group to receive information, so why would they back out now. Jeongin just hoped they wouldn’t regret it. </p><p>“Alright then. The one who created your group symbols should come to me”, Taeil said. Seungmin walked up to the guardian without hesitation but behind a well build facade Jeongin could see that the redhead was a little bit afraid but the kitsune couldn’t understand why. </p><p>Taeil laid his hand on top of Seungmin’s head. “I will use an information transmission spell. Seungmin you should already be familiar with it since Taeyong used it on you before. It will work on everyone though since I will use Seungmin’s group symbol to transmit it to everyone one”, the guardian explained, letting his eyes flicker to each member of Stray Kids. </p><p>“Ready yourself. It maybe be over in a flash but it’s a lot of information”, he added, looking at everyone again seemingly waiting for further confirmation to go on. Everyone nodded as answer. </p><p>“Alright then. Let’s give you the informations you want to know”, Taeil ended and started to cast the spell.</p>
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<a name="section0054"><h2>54. The mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin questions a lot.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taeil hadn’t lied when he said there would be much information to take in but in all honesty Seungmin already knew plenty of the things NCT had found out because he was the one who interrogated Emily, the huntress NCT still held captive as far as Seungmin was aware. Most of the information NCT had received throughout the course of the last weeks had build on the knowledge they had gathered by interrogating her. Still all those information about everything that has been going on probably took a toll on everyone, who wasn’t aware already. </p><p>Felix was clinging onto Jeongin, trying to stay composed even though he now knew that both of his parents were just tools to the humans. Jeongin along with Hyunjin was just generally shocked how much had happened without them noticing and Chan felt like he had missed more than you could consider good. Byungho on the other hand was unreadable. He just stood by Chan’s side being seemingly unaffected by the amount of information he had received but Seungmin knew his older brother was worried endlessly about everyone of his friends and probably was a bit afraid like all of them. </p><p>Minho was the one who couldn’t sit or stand still right now. The cat hybrid was pacing the room up and down, seemingly lost in his own thoughts while Jisung sat on one of the chairs, staring at the smooth surface of the table in front of him. Changbin was just like Seungmin, he already knew a lot about the current situation of the supernatural world but he didn’t know some details, for example how many creatures already died at the hands of the hunters or the fact that two NCT members had been captured at the battle of the Moon pack by no one other than Zendala herself. Hyunjin was still attached to Changbin and he probably won’t let go for a long time because now the siren knew how the vampire’s parents were murdered. Seungmin had to force the memories of their death away, it was just too terrible to think about for now. </p><p>To be frank Seungmin was shocked and scared like everyone else but his head was more occupied with the question why Taeil had left out one rather important information. Nobody of Stray Kids, except Seungmin knew that Zendala wanted Jisung unharmed, hence why Emily didn’t even try attacking him when the two had crossed ways at the Sky Clan territory. </p><p>Taeil had stayed silent until now, giving the nine of them time to take everything in. Seungmin couldn’t help but question himself if the guardian’s strange behavior had a certain motive. Maybe he was a terrible person to think that since Taeil gave them what they wanted but right now he was just too calm and distant for Seungmin’s liking. It also really interested the redhead what kind of information Taeil took from them. Secretly the redhead prayed to all known gods that the guardian didn’t figure out what he really was. The same applied to Byungho even though a part of Seungmin thought the older male would get a more positive reaction than him since he was a mix of something godly good and something hellish evil while Seungmin was just an one hundred percent devilish being. </p><p>“It’s a lot to take in, I know. Maybe you understand now why we kept most of this hidden from almost everyone, who isn’t directly involved in it”, Taeil spoke up. Seungmin was ripped out of his thoughts and like everyone else’s, his attention was on the guardian with the black hair now. </p><p>“It may have been unfair for some of you but we only wanted to protect you”, he added, sounding sincere. Seungmin believed the guardian even though he was still a bit suspicious to the redhead  for keeping one important information secret but he figured telling everyone that Zendala had some sort of connection to Jisung was a bad idea. The redhead didn’t want to imagine how his best friend would react to such news since it most definitely wouldn’t be a good one. </p><p>“We have to do something about this whole mess. We can’t just sit around and do nothing”, Minho spoke up, stopping his pacing. The cat hybrid looked at Taeil and Seungmin noted how the older’s eyes had turned from a deep brown to a fierce green. Minho himself probably hadn’t noticed but it just showed how much the older cat hybrid wanted to do something. </p><p>“I agree with Minho on this”, Chan said, siding with Minho. The wolf hybrid walked up to the cat hybrid, letting him also physically be on Minho’s side. He raised his gaze looking at Taeil. “We can put the knowledge we received to good use if you give us a chance”, he added, sounding determined. Seungmin understood his hyungs since he knew how it felt to want to do something against a situation you deemed to be incorrect but he wasn’t entirely sure if it wasn’t rushed. </p><p>“I figured you would say that. I will be honest with you since you already heard a part of my talk with the leader of Seventeen, S.Coups”, Taeil began, taking a short breath. “We are able to locate Ten and Jaehyun according to Taeyong, which gives us the opportunity for a big rescue mission. Zendala, the female warlock, who fights alongside the hunters is unable to know we can locate them, meaning we can surprise them and hopefully rescue everyone they are holding captive but for this to work we need all our allies. Sadly Seventeen is occupied with setting up camps and barriers in the hidden cities for the supernatural creature, who are currently on the run to a safer location. GOT7 was also occupied with this task but they will come back to Yellow Wood in around a week to help us with the rescue mission”, the guardian started to explain. Seungmin already knew where this was going and he couldn’t decide wether to think it was good or bad. </p><p>“What I am trying to say is that we are short on people for this mission even though we will receive help from BTS, MonstaX, A.C.E and K.A.R.D as well as three not really professional but still strong groups. Taeyong will hate me for saying this but we could use your help as a group”, Taeil ended, glancing at everyone in the room. </p><p>Seungmin’s suspicion was correct. The guardian did have a motive to give them the information they wanted without putting up a verbal fight but his choice of words also let the redhead know that this wasn’t something he talked over with his leader. It was his own suggestion. </p><p>“Of course you can decline. Nobody will force you to do this and I would have to talk it through with Taeyong and the leaders of the other groups to get their agreement but I guess in times like this making decisions like that are inevitably”, Taeil added. </p><p>“I’m in. If not with Stray Kids then as the heir of the vampire throne”, Changbin spoke up at first. His red eyes were still glowing in this odd red tone, which worried Seungmin but the vampire seemed determined. Still, the redhead couldn’t help but worry about Changbin’s decision being an irrational one.</p><p>“I will help too. If there is a possibility to get my parents back I will take it”, Felix said, surprising everyone. The ginger detached himself from Jeongin, walking up to his older brother to stand by his free side. His eyes were still glossy and you could see traces of tears on his cheeks but just like Changbin he was determined and Seungmin couldn’t blame him for it. He wanted to safe people precious to him after all. </p><p>“I’m in on the idea too”, Minho agreed with his little brother, automatically taking the ginger’s hand. Seungmin couldn’t help but let his eyes wander towards Jisung, who was still seated on the room’s large table. Changbin agreed and Minho did too meaning the warlock would probably say yes, considering that Minho was his boyfriend and Changbin his adoptive brother but the blue-haired male hadn’t shown a reaction yet. He just looked at no one in particular. </p><p>“I will do my best to help too”, Chan said after seemingly thinking it through for a short while. It surprised Seungmin at first but then again Chan had been involved in a fight with the hunters directly and he was the type of person that wanted to help and safe others. </p><p>“Take your time with your decision and talk it over with the people close to you first. There is still some time left before we talk the completed plan for the rescue mission through with everyone, who participates”, Taeil cut in and he looked more at Byungho, Seungmin, Chan, Jeongin and Hyunjin than the four, who had already agreed for obvious reasons. </p><p>“Understood”, Chan answered, giving Taeil a light nod. He already sounded like a leader despite having his first day as one. </p><p>“Good. I will personally keep you updated on everything that is currently going on. You should rest now and the ones, who still can should return home to their family safely. The next week surely will be interesting for all of us”, the guardian dismissed them with the ghost of an reassuring smile on his lips. </p><p>“Thank you”, Chan thanked the guardian and carefully ushered everyone of his friends out of the room. </p><p>Seungmin walked close to Byungho after they had left the meeting room and headed towards the little room, which had previously been occupied by Chan when he had been unconscious. The redhead tried to read his older brother but it was almost impossible. The demon genes were to blame for that. Seungmin wanted to say something but he was interrupted by Felix shouting a name. </p><p>The redhead saw how Felix, who walked more or less in front of him, ran up to a familiar looking male with reddish brown hair. It was Junyoung from their class at Miroh High. He was the rather shy and quiet kid you barely noticed but Felix was very attentive when it came to people, so it was no surprise he instantly recognized a classmate. </p><p>“What are you doing here?”, the ginger asked when he reached the other male. Junyoung didn’t seem very happy about this question, Seungmin noted. He shook his head lightly like he tried to get something out of his head and while he tried to show Felix a polite smile but failed. </p><p>“My group is kind of helping NCT since my two hyungs are good at healing”, the young werwolf answered, trying to smile again but he seemed more sad than anything. Felix hummed as an answer before carefully asking: “And how are you holding up?”. The werewolf lightly shook his head again and avoided looking at Felix. </p><p>“I am fine”, he breathed out, once again attempting to politely smile and failing. He was clearly lying and even from Seungmin’s position you could see, that Felix noticed this too. The cat hybrid clearly wanted to help his classmate, judging by the empathic glimmer in his eyes. </p><p>Seungmin had to admit he admired Felix for his empathy and excellent social skills; even though he sometimes questioned himself if the ginger wasn’t a bit too empathic since he had the feeling his feline-like friend prioritized the feelings of others over his own from time to time. The current situation was a great example for that since not more than a few minutes ago Felix was probably crying himself but now he was ready to help someone else. Maybe Seungmin thought too much about it and Felix just managed to heal himself while helping someone else. </p><p>“Junyoung?”, someone called the name of the young werewolf. Everyone looked towards the voice and spotted a rather familiar face, at least for Byungho, Chan, Minho and Changbin. It was Lim Sooyoung but almost everyone called him Jihoo. He was one of the three members of IZ and a dryad, judging by the vine-like markings, which trailed up his exposed arms. </p><p>“Don’t run off like that”, he noted in a soft voice when he reached the young werewolf. He looked a bit surprised when he spotted his four classmates Byungho, Chan, Minho and Changbin. </p><p>“I didn’t know you were here too”, he commented and his tone had a certain amount of empathy in it. “Likewise I would say”, Chan responded with a polite smile on his face. The wolf hybrid was obviously trying to build up a good atmosphere. </p><p>Seungmin took his time to muster Junyoung a bit more, who now had an protective arm placed around him by Jihoo. Chan and the others talked a bit to the dryad while Junyoung stayed silent,  hiding a bit behind Jihoo. The young werewolf obviously tried to not show that he was in some way hurt but the redhead couldn’t figure out why exactly until it hit him that maybe Junyoung wasn’t just here for being in a group, whose members lived in Yellow Wood but had a connection to the battle at the moon pack. Maybe he wasn’t as lucky as Chan and even lost a part of his family, which would explain Jihoo’s protective behavior. </p><p>Before the redhead could go deeper into his thoughts he was slightly nudged by his older brother bringing him back to reality. “We are heading home now. Maybe we see each other again soon”, Jihoo bid his goodbye, just when Seungmin had started listening to their conversation. The dryad waved and took Junyoung with him, carefully guiding him by his shoulder like a lost puppy. </p><p>“We really should teleport home too, hyung”, Jeongin said, talking to Hyunjin. The siren looked hesitated, glancing at Changbin for a brief moment. “We need to talk things over with Auntie”, the kitsune tried again. Hyunjin let out a sigh, giving up. </p><p>“Will everyone be okay with that?”, he asked looking at everyone. “We will be fine. Just head home and so should the two of you”, Chan reassured the siren and then turned to Byungho and Seungmin. “We need to anyway”, Byungho sighed, reminding Seungmin that they still had some kind of unsolved business at home. They still needed to talk to Eve after all. </p><p>With that everyone had to get their stuff, wherever they left it. Jeongin and Hyunjin then teleported home like they would usually. Seungmin and Byungho then set up their invisibility spells and shouldered their bags. </p><p>“Be careful, you two”, Chan said when they stood before the door, which lead them out of the NCT headquarter. “We will be. Don’t worry”, Byungho said while smiling reassuringly towards the wolf hybrid. Watching them be obviously in love with each other would be good teasing material if it wasn’t for the current crisis and the fact that Chan was involved in a battle, which could have costed him his life just yesterday. </p><p>“We will come back tomorrow after we settled everything at home because technically we aren’t allowed to leave the house”, Byungho added, while wrapping his scarf around him. “Well we can’t blame your parents now, can we?”, Chan tried to joke but Seungmin couldn’t help but be reminded of a certain conversation he had with his parents before everything went completely downhill in the supernatural world. Lilith knew this would happen, didn’t she? And if she knew Lucifer did too. </p><p>Seungmin must have looked very spooked when he realized this because his two hyungs looked very concerned. “Everything alright?”, Chan asked with worry being evident in his voice. “Yeah I just need to check something as soon as I get home”, the redhead answered, showing a light smile. “See you tomorrow, Chan-hyung”, Seungmin bid his goodbye quickly before turning on his heels and running out of the building while getting invisible. He mumbled the incantation for the speed spell while Byungho caught up to him, doing the same. </p><p>The two Kim brothers speed off towards the mansion they live in while the sun was slowly disappearing. When the arrived at the mansion the quickly passed their father’s barriers. They were so used to passing them, that they casted the spells needed for it quicker than you could say “Hello”. Soon enough they entered the mansion by climbing in through Wonpil’s window, where they were met with Woosu, Samuel, Wonpil and Eve, who looked very pissed, which was a very rare sight but one Seungmin couldn’t blame her for given the circumstances. </p><p>“I hope you to know the trouble you are in”, the blond woman said in a strict tone. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was tabbing her foot in the floor in an irritated manner. Seungmin glanced at Wonpil, whose task it had been to catch Eve up on everything as soon as he came home. The older demon gave Seungmin a little nod, silently saying that he did what he wanted. Now, the question was why was Eve so upset, if she knew what they have been doing in secret. </p><p>“We can explain”, Seungmin tried to reason. “I have received a very good explanation from Wonpil, thank you very much”, the angel replied and she still seemed irritated. “Mum ...”, Byungho tried too but he was cut off when Eve’s gaze soften magnificently. At first Seungmin wanted to be upset because Eve seemed like she was going soft on Byungho but then she walked up the two young males and pulled them both into a tight hug. </p><p>“You have no idea how worried I was when I noticed you were missing”, she hushed, hugging them just a bit closer for a short moment. “What you did was reckless but incredibly brave”, she mumbled in such a warm, calming voice it made Seungmin forget how screw his world currently was. Eve released them from her embrace and looked them into the eyes. Her blue eyes had lost every bit of irritation and just showed honest concern and a relaxing warmth. </p><p>“The next time you head out to got to the NCT headquarter I want to know alright? So I can look out for you”, she added, making both Seungmin and Byungho silently nod like little children. Whenever Eve talked to them like that Seungmin felt like he was five again. “Good that we talked about it”, Eve smiled, walking past the two to close the window, so the cold February air would stay outside. </p><p>Seungmin let his bag drop to the ground and took off his coat and scarf, revealing the group symbol on his neck. “It really suits you”, Wonpil commented smiling a bit while mustering the three letters. “Thanks”, the younger demon replied, mirroring the smile. “Placed it there myself”, he added while putting his coat over Wonpil’s swirling chair. “I wanna be in a group too”, Samuel whined from his place on the sofa. “Well maybe you will get into one if you would stop being a baby”, Woosu teased the youngest. “Hey! You aren’t part of a group either”, the young siren pouted, lightly hitting Woosu.</p><p>Seungmin was glad for their senseless bickering since it reminded him that even in hard times not everything had to be hopeless and sad. Still, he needed answers he will most likely get from his biological parents. He just needed to know if they were cruel enough to predict everything bad and not doing anything against it.</p><p>“You two should shower and then rest. It must have been a long day for you”, Eve suggested, looking at Byungho and Seungmin. The redhead appreciated Eve’s concern but he needed to get answers first. </p><p>“I need to talk to my mother and father first. I will be back soon”,  Seungmin said before quickly leaving the room, giving nobody the time to stop him. He made his way down the empty corridors of the mansion, heading towards his mother’s office since he knew she was most likely to be there. The redhead didn’t knock when he reached the door, he just bursted into the room without making his presence known beforehand. </p><p>Lilith sat behind her big desk, going through some papers. She was completely unfazed by the sudden appearance of her youngest son or how the doors of her office had been slammed open. Maybe she even knew he would come. </p><p>“What can I do for you, Seungmin? You never visit me in my office without any purpose or motive” she stated, putting the papers away and then raising her gaze to look at Seungmin. Her red eyes were void of emotions but her lips did show signs of a light smile. Seungmin stared at her with cold eyes for a short moment before he began to talk. </p><p>“Did you know how this war was going to break out? Did you know how many would die in such a short span of time?”, the young demon asked in a cold voice, which even surprised himself a little. He was being vague on purpose, knowing by the badly hidden smile of his mother that she must know something.  The woman with the long red hair, let out a dark chuckle. </p><p>“I knew there was a war coming but I didn’t know how or when it would break out. I knew many creatures would die at the beginning but I could never guess how bloodthirsty humans could be”, she answered, sounding pleased, which made Seungmin’s blood boil. He knew his mother wasn’t a good person. After all she was a ancient demon and the queen of hell but he would have never thought that she would be this pleased with a war like the one that had been declared not long ago. </p><p>“Do you enjoy watching people die?”, the redhead growled at his mother, without realizing how demonic he sounded right now. It drew a grin onto Lilith’s face. She leaned forward bit, folding her hands on her desk. </p><p>“I will tell you a secret Seungmin because I’m in a good mood today”, she mused while her grin grew a bit. The woman had Seungmin’s attention but the young demon still glared at her, seemingly amusing her even more. </p><p>“No demon, no angel and maybe not even the gods knew this war would break out this soon and start with so many deaths. Of course supernatural creatures and humans were bounded to clash some day but the gods’ plan was messed up a bit after Wonpil was born. Your father talked to you about this precious thing called destiny. It was the thing he wanted to mess up a bit and feared he had failed to bring out of order. Well it’s still open if you and your brothers have a destiny but it is certain that your father reached his goal even if he fears the consequences now”, Lilith explained. </p><p>Seungmin blinked a few times to process the information he received. This brain told him that this war with the hunters was, according to the things Lilith said, the fault of his father as well as him and his brothers because they messed up the gods’ plans by being born. He shook that thought away. That couldn’t be it. That couldn’t be true. </p><p>“Let me tell you one more thing, Seungmin”, Lilith spoke up again, regaining her son’s attention. The woman with the blood red hair only smiled a little wider if that was even possible. “This war only begun, so prepare yourself for more battles to come”, she said, leaning back into her chair.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0055"><h2>55. Fallen Angel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eve and Byungho visit heaven and the rest of Stray Kids shows Chan their powers.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Byungho laid on his back, staring at the ceiling of his room. Yesterday was an really eventful day but he was worried about Seungmin. After the redhead had talked to his mother, Lilith, the young demon changed but not in a necessarily bad way. He just became more serious and focused. Even though he had said yesterday that he would head to bed soon since he was tired, a part of Byungho believed that the redhead spend the night in their father’s library searching for some kind of answer. The brunette sighed and sat up. He hoped his little brother really went to bed and didn’t stay up all night. </p><p>A light knock on his room’s door pulled Byungho out of his thoughts. “Come in”, he called out, knowing that it was either one of his brothers or his mother. The door was opened by his mother, Eve but something was off since she didn’t smile warmly and wished him a “Good morning” like usual. She just silently closed the door behind her with a rather distressed look on her face. </p><p>“Mum, what’s the matter?”, Byungho asked, standing up from his bed to meet his mother in the middle of the room. Eve sighed deeply, avoiding to look into Byungho’s eyes directly. The brunette noticed the way his mother held her right hand with her left one when he approached her. He could see the movement over her left index finger gently stroking over the golden wedding ring on her right ring finger. If her distress wasn’t clear before it surely was now. </p><p>“I talked with your father and Lilith about the current situation since Seungmin’s behavior from yesterday evening made me very worried”, Eve began to explain. Her gaze was casted downwards but she slowly raised it to look her son in the eyes. Something dreading was in her blue eyes, letting Byungho’s stomach lightly cramp with anxiety. He had never seen his mother like this in his whole life. </p><p>“I may have to ask you for something you will dislike”, she admitted, obviously not being sure of what to say. Her gaze dropped from Byungho’s face back to the ground. The brunette felt a bit of anxiety being take off his shoulders. It was weird that he felt a bit relieved but he would do anything to help his mother even if he disliked it. He slowly took his mother’s hands, letting her look up again. </p><p>“I will do it if it helps you”, he answered, looking directly into his mother’s blue eyes to reassure her of his help. He knew her had convinced her when a small, loving smile made its way onto the blond angel’s lips and her eyes began to radiate their usual warmth. She gently freed her hands from Byungho’s feather light grip, so she could lay them onto her son’s cheeks. </p><p>“I really don’t deserve you”, she almost whispered in a loving tone before letting her hands drop again. Byungho wanted to protest but he didn’t know how. His mother was kind, loving and beautiful in every way. She deserved more than the world could give to her.</p><p>Byungho stopped thinking about protesting when he saw his mother’s eyes getting a bit darker. It seemed like her beautiful blue eyes were slowly clouded by dread and a bit of resentment, which was something Byungho had never seen his mother’s eyes do. Once again she looked him into the eyes still with dread and resentment in her eyes but also a bit of hope. </p><p>“We need to go to heaven, so we can talk to the angels about the current situation here on earth. Yesterday, Lucifer and Lilith told me how many lives were already lost in the span of just a month. I wish I had known sooner what was really going on. I maybe could have done something because this isn’t what the gods wanted, so we need to talk to them through the angel”, Eve explained, letting her gigantic white wings become visible. Byungho was a bit taken back by the sudden appearance of his mother’s pure white angel wings but even more startled was he by what she had said. Did she really plan to return to heaven to prevent the war between the supernatural creatures and hunters from happening? Byungho chased that question away as soon as he thought it because the answer was “Yes”. His mother would do anything for the sake of the world and it’s people if she had the chance. </p><p>“But I can’t enter heaven without an other angel by my side”, she concluded, looking at Byungho. The brunette blinked at her, trying to take this information in. His mother needed him to get back to heaven? Was this the reason she was still here because she knew Byungho didn’t even like the idea of meeting an other angel, knowing that they will hate him for being the child of an angel and a demon? Eve was right when she said Byungho wouldn’t like this but he couldn’t say no to his mother and if he could stop the war with her by just talking there was no reason to decline. </p><p>“I will need to change my shirt for that”, the brunette said, walking to his closet to get out one of the special shirt made by Eve. It exposed his back, making it possible to have his wings on display without his shirt getting two gigantic holes because of them. He found one of those shirt pretty quickly. </p><p>After putting on the shirt on, he let his wings become visible. The were the exact opposite to Eve’s since they were pitch-black and not white with golden rimmed feathers. Eve smiled when she saw her son’s black wings. Byungho knew that his mother liked his wings a lot because she said they were unique but the brunette never understood her in that point. </p><p>“Let’s go”, Eve said, holding out her hand for Byungho to grab. The brunette took his mother’s hand, waiting for her further instructions. Eve only smiled reassuringly at him before looking up to the ceiling of the room while mumbling “Aperire”. </p><p>Before Byungho could think I about what this word meant a beam of light surrounded the two, letting the young male with the black wings almost flinch away but his mother kept him in place by pulling him towards her. </p><p>“It will be over in a second”, she said and she was right because shortly after she said that the beam of light had disappeared into thin air. Still Byungho needed a moment to let his eyes adjust to his bright surroundings. Everything was just white, bright and simply gigantic. </p><p>Byungho had to blink a few times to make out how big the place was he currently stood in. He couldn’t even see the end of the massive column, which surrounded them, nor could he make out the roof they should be carrying. The ground under his feet was white marmot as far as he could tell but it was mostly covered by something Byungho would describe as little parts of clouds. </p><p>“In the names of the ancient gods, Eve”, a voice called out. Byungho turned his head towards the voice to spot an seemingly female angel flying towards them. She had massive wings in a beautiful golden color, which matched the white toga with the golden details she was wearing. Her hair was a beautiful reddish brown color and just like Eve she was unbelievable beautiful and her every motion seemed effortlessly elegant. The unknown angel landed in front of Eve and Byungho but she let her golden eyes merely graze Byungho before her full attention laid on Eve. </p><p>“I thought you would never come back to us”, she commented, seemingly relived. Byungho had to resist the urge of hiding behind his mother and covering up his wings. Just seeing this angel and hearing her talk in a melodic voice with a bit of an stern undertone made him feel completely out of place. </p><p>“I am not here for small talk, Rafael. I need to talk to Adam. It’s urgent”, Eve explained to the other angel. She seemed very determined, which obviously Rafael noticed. The brunette angel glanced at Byungho for a brief second. Even though no negative emotions were shown in the eyes of the angel with the golden wings Byungho could feel that she somehow disliked him. The reason for that were probably his pitch black wings. </p><p>Rafael put her full attention back onto Eve. The relief from before was washed off her face and replace by something a lot more serious. </p><p>“I will be honest with you Eve. I don’t think you talking to Adam is a good idea. You left him in the dust for Lucifer and your selfish wish”, Rafael said, putting a hand onto her hip. She didn’t look pleased and Byungho understood her a little bit but the brunette could feel that his mother wasn’t going to give up. </p><p>“This isn’t about Lucifer, Adam or me. It’s about earth and the destiny the gods created for it”, Eve argued. Rafael seemed to think for a short moment and in the end nodded. Her golden eyes showed no emotion Byungho could actively name.</p><p>“Alright I will bring Adam here, so you can talk. Don’t move”, Rafael said before swinging herself into the air and flying off. Byungho was slowly growing more and more anxious because he was slowly doubting this meeting with Adam wouldn’t end well. He knew who Adam was through very old books but his mother never really told him about him. Maybe because she wanted to forget him. </p><p>According to said old books, Adam was the earth’s first male human. He once had a wife called Lilith but she didn’t obey the gods nor Adam’s orders, so she was banned into the earth’s crust, dooming her to sleep there for eternity. Adam’s second wife was the woman, who was also Byungho’s mother, Eve. They had lived together on earth, which was called Eden at the time until it was invaded by dark forced because Lucifer created hell and unleashed the demons, which had been sleeping in the earth’s crust. Adam and Eve were brought to heaven to serve the gods as their strongest angels. Byungho knew this story continued with Eve leaving heaven to live with Lucifer on earth but the books didn’t tell you that part. </p><p>If Byungho was honest with himself he truly feared Adam. He feared that the mighty angel would attack him full force because he was the living proof of the relationship between Eve and Lucifer. Adam would probably also hate him for looking a bit like his father. </p><p>“Don’t worry, Byungho”, Eve spoke up, laying her hand onto her son’s shoulder. Byungho turned his head towards his mother being met with an reassuring smile and kind, warm blue eyes. He will never understand how his mother could be so lovingly and reassuring even in situations like this one. She must be feeling nervous too, right? </p><p>“We will be just fine”, Eve reassured him before she retracted her hand from Byungho’s shoulder to take off her wedding ring. It was a beautiful gold ring with some vines engravings. On the inside also stood the name “Eve”. Byungho knew the ring meant a lot to his mother even though he never understood why. </p><p>“Hold on to this for me”, she said, giving the ring to Byungho. Why would she give him something she treasured so much? </p><p>“But mum...”, the brunette tried to protest but Eve shushed him. “Just trust me, alright?”, she insisted. She took Byungho’s right hand and slipped the ring onto her son’s little finger. The brunette let out a little sigh and looked at the ring, which now occupied his little finger and somehow managed to fit perfectly. </p><p>“Your father put a special protection charm on the ring. If something happens it will bring home”, Eve explained, smiling warmly while she looked at the ring lovingly. Byungho felt a big of panic flooding into his system. This was a bad sign, wasn’t it?</p><p>“Then you shouldn’t take him off”, Byungho said, looking at his mother with distress being evident in his eyes. He knew if his mother gave him something like her beloved wedding ring he had to fear for their safety but Eve only shook her head. </p><p>“I am just a concerned mother, who wants to know her child is safe with a certainty. Keep the ring on, please. Do it for me”, she vouched, looking at him with a little plead in her blue eyes. Byungho couldn’t say no to this so he gave his mother a little nod before he looked up to see three angels coming their way. In front flew a rather tall, male angel with dark hair and golden eyes. His wings looked like Eve’s just a bit larger to match his broad frame. If Byungho had to guess he would say this was Adam. The other two angels were Rafael and another male with messy raven hair he didn’t recognize. They landed not right in front of Eve and Byungho but a few feet away from them. </p><p>“It’s nice to see you again, Eve”, the male with the dark hair greeted, walking forward just a little bit. A bit of a smile made it’s way onto the man’s lips but it dropped when his gaze flickered the Byungho for just a moment. This was surely Adam. </p><p>“The pleasure is all mine, Adam”, Eve politely greeted, clarifying that this man was indeed Adam. Byungho froze when Adam’s golden eyes began to pierce through him. Unlike Rafael, Adam took his sweet time to muster the brunette up and down like he was some sort of puppet or animal in a zoo. Byungho tired not to show any fear while internally praying that his demon side was enough to fool the mighty angel. </p><p>“I need to talk to you, Adam”, Eve spoke up, taking Adam’s attention away from Byungho. The young brunette internally released a breath, being glad the intense eyes of Adam weren’t on him anymore. </p><p>“Rafael let know you wanted to talk. After all you mentioned the earth’s destiny”, the tall man answered, glancing at Byungho again when he said destiny. Byungho had no clue why but every time Adam’s golden eyes focused on him the urge to just hide behind his mother was enormous. </p><p>“There is a war starting on earth but not one created between just humans. It’s a war between every creature living there and you know yourself that this wasn’t supposed to happen. You need to tell the gods to stop this before it takes thousands of innocent lives”, Eve explained with urgency in her voice. Adam looked at her with coldness radiating from his eyes, which send a shiver down Byungho’s spine even if it wasn’t directed at him.</p><p>“Eve”, Adam began talking in a neutral tone. “The reason this war came to be is because Lucifer screwed up the world’s destiny by having children. His first son was a problem but one that could be fixed, since he was a pure blood demon but his second child”, he continued and looked directly into Byungho’s eyes while his gaze darkened. “Is something that should have never been born”, Adam hissed lowly, cold hatred almost overtaking his whole aura. </p><p>Byungho took some steps back. This was bad. Adam did hate him like he thought but not because he was the living proof of Eve’s and Lucifer’s relationship. He was something that wasn’t supposed to exist in the eyes of the gods and angels. Adam had a right to hate his very being.  </p><p>“Remember that he is not only Lucifer’s child”, Eve yelled in a calm but strong voice. She moved and now stood in front of Byungho. Despite Eve being smaller than Byungho, the brunette felt protected.  </p><p>“He is my son too”, Eve reminded Adam with a strong and loud voice. Her gaze was almost piercing through the tall, male angel but weirdly it made Adam seemingly calm down. He sighed and straightened his back, letting his gigantic wings fold themselves more nicely.</p><p>“Still, Lucifer’s second child is the main reason this war broke out because he managed to shift the already fragile destiny by being careless enough to be spotted by a human with his black wings on full display”, Adam said a bit more calmly but he looked at Byungho with pure hatred. The young brunette just wished he wasn’t frozen in his spot, so he could duck down behind his mother and fully hide from Adam. </p><p>“Stop this. There is no point in blaming him like this”, Eve screamed, walking a few steps towards Adam, which alarmed Rafael and the other angel. They made themselves ready to attack Eve but stopped their movements when Adam raised his hand. </p><p>There was a silence. One that Byungho could only describe as suffocating. He had never seen his mother this mad. Never in his whole 19 years of living with her. The brunette had the feeling to only hear his heart pounding in his ears while Eve glared at Adam. Suddenly the gaze of the tall angel softened. </p><p>“Listen to me, Eve. I know you badly wanted a child. I know you love him with all your heart but he is a threat to this world, to destiny itself. The only reason he and his brothers weren’t taken out sooner is that the angels are not allowed to go down to earth ever since Eden fell”, Adam explained calmly. Byungho lightly flinched at that but slowly his brain began to shut down. This was becoming too much for him. Adam had confirmed what he had always known. He wasn’t supposed to exist; he was a cursed child; his mother would have deserved something better. </p><p>“Byungho isn’t a threat to anyone. He is unique, special, lovable and kind. Maybe he is half demon, half angel but he is a better person than all angels combined”, Eve shouted, only earning a pitiful look from Adam. Byungho on the other hand had the feeling he couldn’t really hear her.</p><p>“The earth really changed you, Eve. And I am terribly sorry for what I am about to do”, Adam mumbled, making it hard for Byungho to register he even said something. For a moment Byungho asked himself what Adam meant. He heard something similar to electricity hiss and that was when he noticed that Adam had a spear made of light in his hand. Without hesitation he threw it directly at Byungho. </p><p>Everything was slowing down like time itself decided to let this seem longer. The spear made of light would pass Eve and directly hit Byungho’s chest. It was too fast for the brunette to dodge, so the only thing his body did automatically was wrap his wings around him. It was a reflex but he also tightly closed his eyes, waiting for an impact, which never came. </p><p>“Eve!”, Byungho heard Adam yell, which let time speed up again. Byungho quickly opened his eyes and got his wings out of his sight when he heard his mother’s name being yelled, only to see his mother stand in front of him with her wings spread out. The spear was stuck in her chest and strange little lightnings covered her whole body. </p><p>Her wings dropped to the ground like a deadweight. Slowly and with heavy steps did Eve turn around, facing her son and only child. Byungho felt like he was dreaming. His mind became foggy and it seemed to him like he was watching a movie. A horror movie.  </p><p>“Mum...”, Byungho merely whispered, not even noticing how his lips moved. Eve only smiled at him even though her whole body seemed to slowly fall apart. Her smile showed that she regretted nothing and was as warm and kind as always. </p><p>“Praesidio”, she mumbled and next thing Byungho knew he was surrounded by light, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again he found himself in the middle of a room he had only glimpsed at once in a while. His parents’ bedroom. </p><p>Byungho just stood there, in the middle of the room while his brain tried to comprehend what just happen. His legs felt like jelly and soon enough just broke away under him, letting him fall to his knees. </p><p>This was just a dream, right? A big nightmare he will soon wake up from, right? This wasn’t real. </p><p>The brunette stared at his lap while his sight was slowly clouded by tears. This didn’t happen. He would soon wake up and be greeted by his mother’s smiling face. She would say “Good morning” and remind him to get dressed soon. She would ... she would ... Tear dropped down onto Byungho’s pants when a part of him realized that his mother was gone and it was his fault. </p><p>Suddenly the door burst open with a familiar voice calling out “Eve!”. It was Lucifer out of all the people, who lived in his house. Byungho didn’t look at his father nor did he really notice his presence. Only when his father sat down beside him, taking his hand where he wore his mother’s wedding ring on his little finger, did his brain tell him that he was there. </p><p>“Please tell me she didn’t”, Lucifer mumbled to himself. “She is so reckless”, the devil added with a sigh when he let go of Byungho’s hand, laying down rather gently. The brunette just felt numb and his mind was foggy mess of memories. Tears were still streaming down his face but the restricting feeling in his chest and throat became something he barely registered. </p><p>“Come on. Stand up. Sitting here won’t do you any good”, Lucifer said in an almost kind tone, which was unlike him. Normally he had a provoking tone or sounded like some sort of entertainer but now it seemed empathic. </p><p>Byungho hated his father. He really did, which was why he never understood why his mother said she loved him but the way Lucifer carefully pulled Byungho to his feet, stabilizing him with ghostlike touches at least told him that his father did have a soft side. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>Chan felt a little sting in his chest, which caused him to put his hand over his heart. It was a dull pain but it hurt enough the wolf hybrid to react to it. </p><p>“Are you hurt there too”, Sicheng, who was checking on Chan’s wounds, asked with worriedly. The warlock’s violet eyes seemed worried when Chan met them. </p><p>“Oh. Nonono. Just felt a little sting there. Nothing serious”, the wolf hybrid dismissed, hoping he didn’t cause more worry for the warlock. Sicheng didn’t look very convinced but he said nothing and carefully put Chan’s injured arm down, which he had examined. </p><p>“As far as I can say your wounds heal perfectly. At this rate they will be gone in two weeks. Maybe even earlier if you rest well”, the blond warlock concluded while wrapping new bandages around the wolf hybrid’s arm. His movements were very fluid but precise, telling everyone that he had done this a lot of this.</p><p>“I really need to ask Byungho what kind of spells he used on this”, Sicheng then mumbled to himself. It probably wasn’t meant for Chan but the hybrid couldn’t help but laugh a bit. He had no idea what Byungho had used on him but it was beautiful and amazing. There was no way he would mind sharing the spell with Sicheng. </p><p>“He will tell you for sure if you ask him”, the wolf hybrid replied, smiling a bit. Sicheng mirrored the smile and let Chan hop off the treatment table after the warlock had finished securing the new bandages. </p><p>It was really astonishing how Sicheng and Chan were the same age but were at completely different levels in the point of experience and knowledge. The wolf hybrid couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated by the fact that young adults in his age were as experienced as some people in his parents’ generation. On the other hand he also admired Sicheng’s calmness, kindness and his thirst for even more knowledge. </p><p>“You are really admirable Sicheng. I can’t believe we are supposed to be in the same grade”, Chan spoke out his thoughts, taking the blond warlock by surprise. He put away the unused bandages and then turned back to Chan. </p><p>“I was only lucky enough to be able to join NCT quite early if I’m honest”, the warlock replied after a short pause. He rubbed his neck sheepishly and didn’t directly look at Chan. Even though Sicheng seemed to explain his abilities with him being part of NCT there was no denying that he was talented. </p><p>“It’s still amazing”, the wolf hybrid insisted, making the other laugh a bit. Sicheng leaned onto the counter with the sink, trying to not show just how much he appreciated the compliment but he also seemed to think.</p><p>“I’m  glad you think my abilities are great but I’m still not as good as Yuta-hyung. We are seen as a team ever since we figured out that we are soulmates but he remains the true magical genius of NCT”, Sicheng explained, while an almost lovesick smile tugged at his lips. Chan was surprised when the heard the word ‘soulmate’ because he knew how rare it was to find a soulmate. </p><p>“Yuta-ssi and you are soulmates?”, he asked for clarification. Sicheng nodded while Chan looked at him with absolute amazement written all over his face. “That’s so cool. Finding your soulmate is really hard”, the wolf hybrid commented. The warlock lightly laughed but the lovingly smile was more prominent on his face now. He seemed to be thinking about his soulmate. </p><p>“Well we found out after getting together through our leader Taeyong-hyung since his power is to see souls. According to him every soul has a special color and feels different. People, who belong together have the same soul color”, the blond explained. Chan let out a “Wow” sound, looking like a child, who just heard one of those old myths parents told their little ones before bedtime.  </p><p>Suddenly someone knocked on the door of the medical room, cutting the conversation short. “Come in”, Sicheng called out. The door was opened not a second after that revealing Felix, Jisung and Yedam, who poked their heads through the door. </p><p>“Finished with your check-up, hyung?”, Felix asked. Chan nodded with a little smile on his lips and turned to Sicheng again. “Thanks for everything, Sicheng”, the wolf hybrid politely thanked the warlock. “No problem. It’s kinda my job after all”, Sicheng answered with a smile. Chan retuned the smile before he left the room, joining the three younger males. </p><p>Changbin and Minho leaned on the wall, opposite of the door of the medical room. Changbin’s eyes still glowed in this strange red color but it became a bit less over the night. It probably was all thanks to Jae, Younghyun, Dowoon and Sungjin, the four members of Day6 who dropped by yesterday night, shortly before bedtime. Chan knew them since they were once students at Miroh High in Chan’s first years there. All four males had seemed rather stressed if Chan was honest but the wolf hybrid could imagine why, since Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon were vampires. He also figured that their familiarity with Changbin meant they had a sort of connection to the royal family of the vampires. </p><p>“Since Chan-hyung is finished with his check-up we can finally go to the training room”, Yedam cheered, jumping in the air. He seemed rather excited for that and Chan couldn’t blame him. He would maybe react the same way but he wasn’t sure in the current situation.</p><p>“No, we need to wait for Jeongin and Hyunjin first”, Felix reminded the young wolf hybrid. Of course Chan immediately noticed two names missing. “Why just Jeongin and Hyunjin? What about Byungho and Seungmin”, Chan chimed in, clearly confused. Had something happened to the two Kim brothers?</p><p>“Seungmin wrote they can’t make it today because it’s too risky to sneak out today. Apparently their father is onto them”, Jisung answered, tipping a little bit on his phone to show the little chat he had with the redhead. Chan frowned a bit at the texts since Seungmin’s texts seemed a bit rushed. Jisung seemed to notice Chan’s vary gaze. </p><p>“I know it’s strange but we need to just trust them”, the warlock sighed, pocketing his phone again. Chan had to agree with the warlock. He wasn’t entirely sure if Seungmin would tell him if something was wrong with their family but Byungho surely would, right? </p><p>“Sorry we are late”, you could hear Hyunjin call out in the distance. The siren along with his blond cousin came running towards the six other males. They seemed a bit out of breath but otherwise fine. </p><p>“What took you two so long?”, Minho spoke up, pushing himself up from the wall. The cat hybrid mustered the two quickly with a bit of an accusation in his eyes but Chan was pretty sure Minho wasn’t mad. Jeongin caught his breath first and answered for him and Hyunjin. </p><p>“Auntie was worried and we had to reassure her that we would be fine. She also thinks about moving away”, Jeongin answered, the last part was mumbled. This brought the mood down instantly. They were officially a group now. The last thing they wanted was being separated again. </p><p>“Maybe we can ask Taeil or Taeyong if she could stay here”, Felix suggested, trying to bring the mood up again. Chan will forever adore Felix for always trying to be positive even though he knew the amount of worries the young ginger must have because of his parents. </p><p>“That is an amazing idea, hyung”, Jeongin smiled at the ginger. Felix mirrored the smile just a bit brighter. Those two were definitely the group’s little sunshines. </p><p>“I guess you didn’t talk to her about the rescue mission NCT is planning?”, Changbin spoke up, gaining everyone’s attention. The vampire was still leaning onto the wall, having his arms crossed over his chest while his gaze was more fixated on the ground than the group. Hyunjin sighed and shook his head as an answer to the vampire’s question. </p><p>“We couldn’t ask, hyung. When we came home yesterday the first thing auntie did was wrapping us up in a big and tight hug, which she almost never does. She told us how glad she was that we were okay and how she didn’t want to loose us too”, Jeongin explained, looking to the ground while playing with the hem of his sleeves. </p><p>“It’s okay, Innie. You don’t have to join this if you don’t want to”, Felix reassured Stray Kids’ maknae, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Chan internally agreed with Felix. Nobody will force it onto Jeongin and Hyunjin. Besides Chan liked the thought of knowing at least two of his friends were completely safe.</p><p>“I think we won’t participate in it”, Hyunjin mumbled almost to himself. The siren looked at the ground while shifting his weigh around a bit. “We can’t do that to my mum”, he added. </p><p>“Understandable, so don’t worry about it, you too”, Chan said, smiling a bit at them to let them know it really was okay. The wolf hybrid knew the problem since his mother hadn’t been fond of the idea either when he told her about it yesterday evening but it didn’t take a lot of persuading to get her to agree. She even said that she will probably participate too if she was allowed to, which made Chan feel weird relieved since he knew his mother was a great fighter. Yedam, who was aware of the rescue mission too would have to stay back though because neither Chan nor Mrs. Bang would let him take part in this plan, no matter what kind of argument he brought up. </p><p>“Enough of this negativity. We don’t need that for now. Let’s get to the trainings hall”, Yedam urged, walking behind Hyunjin, Felix and Jeongin so he could just pushed them forward like a cart. Chan chuckled a bit at his brother’s behavior and he wasn’t the only one. Jisung and Minho seemed kind of amused too. Yedam really was a happy pill for everyone in his surroundings. </p><p>In the end Yedam’s wish was granted and the eight males found themselves in the trainings hall. Yedam and Chan saw the gigantic hall for the first time while the other six were very familiar with it. Chan had never in his life seen such a huge hall. </p><p>“I am gonna run a few rounds”, Yedam stated, taking off his pullover. He wore a plain black shirt underneath. Still, the younger shouldn’t just shift and run off. </p><p>“Yedam, no, you-“, Chan tried to say but he was ignored by his younger brother, who shifted into his wolf form and just ran away, exploring the little parkour, which was set up from the last training session from who knows who. It was great to know how well Yedam listened to his older brother. </p><p>“Little brothers”, Chan sighed, picking up Yedam’s pullover from the ground. “He doesn’t have any injuries unlike you, hyung, so let him have his fun”, Felix chuckled, carefully patting Chan’s shoulder. It was the uninjured one but he was still careful. Chan sighed again, watching how his little brother jumped onto one of the high blocks, which stood in the middle of the hall. </p><p>“Come on. Let’s show Chan what we learned while training with NCT”, Jeongin suggested, teleporting on top of one of the blocks in the blink of an eye. Sometimes you almost forgot Jeongin could teleport himself without having to cast a spell. </p><p>“That’s a great idea”, Felix cheered, following Jeongin by proofing he was good at free running. With a certain elegance did the young cat hybrid climb up to the kitsune. He had a bit too much kick because when he lifted himself onto the block he crashed into Jeongin, letting them both tumble. This gave their friends a bit of an heart attack but they were fine since they didn’t fall down from the block. They even laughed loudly after a surprised gasp from both of them.</p><p>“Lee Felix, Yang Jeongin someday I will have a heart attack because of you”, Chan called out to them jokingly. “But you aren’t that old yet, hyung”, Jeongin retorted sassily. The kitsune showed a cheeky grin when he sat up. This kid had guts, you have to give him that. </p><p>“Don’t make me come up there”, the wolf hybrid responded, acting like a parent, making the two younger males laugh even louder. It was nice to see them laugh. </p><p>“Hey. You maybe should stop laughing and get off each other or we might think we missed out on something important”, Minho stated, wiggling with his eyebrows. He was teasing them but he also had a point. </p><p>Even from the ground, where the majority of the group stood you could see how both younger males blushed when Felix got off Jeongin. Yedam came running back to the main group since he seemingly was interested in what they were doing right now. Jisung let out a little shriek and hid behind Minho when the black wolf approached the group. Chan couldn’t blame the warlock for that since Yedam was a quiet walker and looked very impressive in his wolf form since he was fully grown black wolf. The young male also turned back into his human form, so he could properly communicate, making Hyunjin gasp a little. </p><p>“I have never seen a wolf hybrid turn back into his human form. The other way around his such a common sight nowadays but to see the transformation back really hits different”, the siren stated. Chan as well as Yedam looked kinda confused because of that. Sure Hyunjin was right but they couldn’t really understand why it was so special. </p><p>“Well, I’m no werewolf so I can transform back without being worried about cloths”, Yedam responded rather bluntly. Hyunjin blinked a few times before you could almost see the light bulb above his head. </p><p>“Oh yeah. I knew there had to be something. I guess wolf hybrids have the most remarkable back transformation out of all known supernatural creatures. Turning back from my siren form is just gross”, the siren stated, scrunching up his nose. This let Chan raise an eyebrow because he couldn’t properly imagine that. </p><p>“I can confirm that. It really is gross”, Jeongin yelled from his spot on top of the block, making Felix beside him giggle. Hyunjin’s head snapped towards them and he looked like he didn’t want Jeongin saying that. </p><p>“Didn’t you want to show Chan-hyung what we learned while training with NCT?”, Changbin spoke up. The vampire had a certain distance between himself and the group, which Chan felt bad for not noticing but he understood if Changbin needed space. After all he knew what it meant to loose a parent but the young vampire had it even worse than that because he lost both of his parents in a terrible way but also inherited their very important position as king of all vampires. </p><p>“Almost forgot. I will start”, Hyunjin said, smiling a little bit. Chan noticed that the siren didn’t want to brung the mood down. He turned to the group, focusing on Chan. </p><p>“Ready?”, the siren giggled, looking at his group leader. The silver-haired male was a bit worried because the taller’s voice sounded already different but he nodded anyway. Hyunjin smirked a tiny bit before he opened his mouth again and started to sing but Chan had the feeling the singing wasn’t coming from the siren even though he saw his lips moving. </p><p>Suddenly there was a higher tone on Chan’s right, which made him turn his head into the directions but there was nothing there. When he wanted to look back to Hyunjin the siren was just gone. He looked at the rest, who looked just as confused as him. Even Felix and Jeongin, who should be able to see Hyunjin better from their point of view looked confused. </p><p>“Has he done this before?”, Chan asked, looking at Minho and Jisung. Both shook their head. “To our defense he rarely trained with us since he has natural abilities unlike the rest of us. He mostly trained with Mark-hyung and Doyoung-hyung but he never mention this trick”, Jisung responded, looking around in search for Hyunjin. Hyunjin’s honey-like singing could be heard in the whole hall.</p><p>“Try to find me”, you suddenly could hear him giggle from somewhere, without the singing stopping. Chan felt like he was caught in a magical illusion even though he knew for a fact that sirens weren’t capable of creating such. Suddenly Changbin dashed forward and behind one of the blocks. This action was followed by a shriek of Hyunjin along with a stopping of the singing. </p><p>“Found you”, you could hear the vampire say. “Hyung you broke my song”, Hyunjin complained loudly, stepping out of the shadow of the block along with the vampire. The siren had a pout on his lips and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. </p><p>“What by all gods was that?”, Yedam asked while his eyes glimmered with amazement. Hyunjin smiled proudly at the black-haired wolf hybrid, letting his pout disappear in an instant. </p><p>“It’s my personal siren song. It can send everyone who hears it into a trance, making them confused and disoriented. Or at least I thought it works on everyone”, Hyunjin explained, saying the last sentence in a rather sulky manner while looking at Changbin. The vampire only shrugged. </p><p>“Alright I am next”, Jeongin cheered from his spot on the high block. He grabbed Felix’s hand and teleported the two of them to the main group. “You will be surprised and amazed, hyung”, the kitsune smiled at Chan before teleporting away again but this time without Felix. The blond stood on top of one of the blocks again, looking down to his hyungs and Yedam. </p><p>“Don’t try anything dangerous”, Jisung yelled after him. It was also the first thought in Chan’s mind. “I won’t”, the blond replied with a smirk on his face before he turned around, facing the group with his back. </p><p>Chan looked at the kitsune in question since he just stood there, on top of the block with his back turned towards them. Suddenly the blond just stepped over the edge, letting himself fall. </p><p>“Jeongin!” Chan yelled and wanted to dash forward but Jisung kept him from doing so by stretching his arm out. “He is a fox spirit, a trickster, hyung”, the warlock reminded the older in the exact moment where the falling Jeongin just disappeared as soon as he touched the ground. The silver-haired male sighed in relieve. “This is so not funny”, he breathed out. </p><p>“Sorry, hyung. My specialty are illusions but I can also demonstrate something else”, Jeongin called out from somewhere but Chan couldn’t really tell his exact location even with his enhanced hearing. </p><p>In only the blink of an eye did the blond teleport directly in front of Chan, startling the wolf hybrid with his orange glowing eyes. The silver-haired male automatically took a step back and noticed that not only Jeongin’s eyes had changed. The young kitsune had a pair of fluffy fox ears on top of his head and a long fox-like tail, which gently wiped over the floor. The ears and tail matched Jeongin’s hair color, making him look like a very special kind of creature. </p><p>“Woah. This is amazing. I didn’t know fox spirits had a hidden form”, Chan goggled, completely forgetting Jeongin’s mean trick from before. Yedam looked at Jeongin with his mouth hanging open. The young wolf hybrid had never seen a kitsune in this form before and it was just entirely mesmerizing for him. </p><p>“You are so pretty”, the black-haired wolf hybrid complimented Jeongin. The kitsune smiled, showing his dimples while saying “Thank you”. </p><p>“Our turn!”, Felix suddenly yelled, getting everyone’s attention. “Come on, hyung”, the ginger said, taking his brother’s wrist, so he could drag Minho a bit away from the main group. Chan frowned a bit. Felix was behaving really strangely just now. The wolf hybrid glanced at Jeongin, who looked after the Lee brothers without any special expression on his face. If Chan had to guess he would say Felix had a crush on Jeongin but was it mutual?</p><p>“Attention everyone or you won’t be able to follow”, Felix called out again. “Minho and I will do a little parkour race through the whole hall. Yedam can join if he wants to”, the ginger suggested, looking at the wolf hybrid. “I would love to”, Yedam replied, immediately turning into his wolf form. He walked up to the Lee brothers as a black wolf and situated himself beside Minho. </p><p>“Jisung you give the signal”, the older cat hybrid, smirking a bit. Jisung huffed and raised his pointer finger in the air. “Ready. Set. Go”, the warlock yelled letting a little light explode on the tip of his pointer finger. </p><p>Minho and Felix set off in an unbelievable tempo with Yedam having problems keeping up and he had four legs. The two cat hybrids moved, turned and jumped so quickly it really was hard to keep up. Especially their jumps seemed very powerful. Getting kicked by them would knock you to the ground for sure. </p><p>Chan could also decipher some fighting techniques out of their movements. The must have trained kicks a lot but when the wolf hybrid heard the faint sound of claws scratching a hard object he was certain they also worked on techniques which required their claws. </p><p>Poor Yedam couldn’t keep up with the Lee brothers even though he really ran as fast as he could and made some quite high jumps. Felix reached the goal first, closely followed by Minho. You almost couldn’t tell who won but everyone clapped anyway. Minho didn’t stop after reaching the goal though because he seemingly thought it was a great idea to run up to Jisung and pick him up to swirl him around like in those romance movies. The warlock shrieked loudly while Minho giggled. Felix watched the two with a small smile on his lips before he turned to Yedam, who came in last while panting quite heavily.</p><p>“You really are a fast runner”, the ginger cat hybrid complimented, patting the younger’s back. Yedam looked up to the ginger while wagging his tail. Even though he was a big, black wolf he could still look cute while wagging his tail happily. </p><p>“Alright my turn and then Changbin’s”, Jisung announced, patting Minho’s shoulder as a sign to be put down. When the warlock stood on his own two feet again he fixed his cloths quickly before clearing his throat. </p><p>“I need a guinea pig. Changbin-hyung, please be my guinea pig”, the blue-haired warlock asked, looking to the vampire, who stepped forward wordlessly. “I need to concentrate so you all better be quiet”, the warlock huffed, cracking his knuckles. Jeongin only rolled with his eyes a bit, showing that the warlock was exaggerating. </p><p>“I will do a paralyzing spell. You can try to dodge”, the warlock challenged the vampire. “When you are able to hit me”, the vampire smirked a bit. For the first time in what felt like eternity Chan saw a little bit of life return into Changbin’s eyes but he also noticed how the red color seemed to go back even more, which hopefully was a good sign. </p><p>Jisung and Changbin readied themselves. “Go, Hannie”, Minho cheered, making Jisung smile a little. Without realizing it Chan put his hand onto his heart. He really hoped Byungho was okay and well because a part of him had a bad feeling. It wasn’t really strong but there ever since he was at the medical station. </p><p>“Chan-hyung you are giving the start signal”, Jisung called out, completely focusing on Changbin. “Alright”, the wolf hybrid started, pausing a bit. </p><p>“Ready. Set. Go”, Chan called out. Jisung immediately shot a ball made of yellow light towards Changbin but the vampire dodged it with ease. The blue-haired warlock shot more of those little yellow balls towards the vampire but he really didn’t have any kind of problem with avoiding them. Still it was impressive how fast Jisungwas able to shot those little spells. </p><p>Suddenly the warlock changed his tactic and mumbled another spell, followed by another one. Without warning blue glowing ranks came out of the ground trying to grab onto Changbin’s legs but the vampire jumped up high, landing on one of the high blocks. Jisung huffed in annoyance and shot another yellow light ball at the vampire. This time Changbin almost didn’t see it, which Jisung used to his advantage. The warlock immediately mumbled another spell, shooting it at Changbin’s feet but the vampire jumped to another block just a second before he could be hit. The spot where the male with the black hair had stood was now covered with ice. </p><p>Chan made a mental count how many different spells Jisung used in this fight, so he could note down the warlock’s progress from this point on. He was pretty sure Jisung would make a lot of progress. After all he was talented. </p><p>“Is there any chance for me to win this?”, Changbin asked out loud after dodging another attack from Jisung. “No but if it helps you, I will acknowledge my defeat if you are able to touch me”, the blue-haired male smirked. </p><p>“Well that’s easy”, Changbin huffed. The vampire quickly jumped down from the block he was currently standing at after he avoided another attack from his magical friend. He dashed towards Jisung probably aiming for a quick win with his supernatural speed but when he got close to the warlock he was pushed away by some sort of force field. </p><p>“When did you put up a force field”, Chan questioned curiously while Changbin backed away again when Jisung tried to restrict him again. “Before I shot the ice spell at Changbin-hyung”, the warlock answered, not letting Changbin out of his sight for one second. </p><p>The vampire stood at a safe distance seemingly thinking about a plan to break through the force field. Jisung on the other hand tried the ice spell again. It got dangerously close to Changbin without him moving an inch. With a swift move the vampire stood in front of Jisung’s force field. The next few movements were too fast for Chan to register but Changbin managed to break the force field and touched the warlock in the exact second his feet were hit by an ice spell, letting him be stuck on the spot. </p><p>There was a short silence since everyone needed to register what just happened but a slow clapping, which echoed through the hall let everyone’s attention turn towards the entrance. There stood Taeil, who seemed quite impressed by the little training’s fight Changbin and Jisung put up. </p><p>“This was a very good fight. You really are talented. All of you to be honest”, the guardian stated, putting his hands behind his back. “I won’t beat around the bush for long since you seem to appreciate directness. I need to have a little chat with Changbin if you don’t mind”, he said, getting to the point quickly. </p><p>Chan looked to Changbin and Jisung, who officially ended their fight by stepping away from each other. Jisung had quickly freed Changbin’s feet from the ice with probably another spell but Chan hadn’t noticed it. He was much more worried that Changbin was called by Taeil alone but maybe it was something that was purely vampire-related. </p><p>“It won’t take long. I promise”, Taeil added after probably sensing hesitation in both Chan and Changbin. The vampire prince (technically already king but there hasn’t been a coronation yet) looked back to Chan, which surprised the wolf hybrid a bit but he just nodded reassuringly to show him it was okay. </p><p>“Alright. Just know I will tell them about our chat”, Changbin said. Taeil nodded and motioned towards the entrance of the training’ s hall. It was pure politeness to let the vampire walk out the door first and after thinking about it a second time it also seemed logical to Chan. Even though Changbin didn’t wear a crown or had a coronation yet, he was king now. People will soon even bow to him as a greeting and not only let him walk out the door first. </p><p>After the two had disappeared Chan heard someone loudly huff beside him. It was Yedam, who had turned back into his human form a while ago. </p><p>“You know I would be exhausted after so many important talks with the rather important members of a group like NCT. I really respect Changbin-hyung for still having the nerves to just have another one with the second guardian of NCT”, he commented, stretching his arms a bit. </p><p>“Changbin is really strong in that point”, Hyunjin replied to that. The rest could only agree.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0056"><h2>56. The list</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The meaning of the list Jisung predicted is revealed.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin followed Taeil quietly, thinking that the guardian had a really bad timing but he had to admit he was curious what he wanted to talk about. After all the vampire thought every bit of information NCT had would now be shared with everyone of Stray Kids. </p><p>Taeil lead Changbin into a random room far enough away from the trainings hall to prevent creatures with enhanced hearing from listening to their conversation. It was a tiny, plain and seemingly unused office as Changbin noted. There was only one desk with two chairs there. There were no shelves and no widows.</p><p>“I will get to the point quickly to not hold you up for too long”, Taeil began, closing the door behind him. Changbin simply looked at the older male with an neutral expression on his face. He just wanted this to be over, so he could return to his friends to distract himself from the harsh reality, which was currently their world. In that moment the vampire really didn’t know what to do without them and his vampire hyungs from Day6. Taeil cleared his throat a little before he began to talk, ripping Changbin out of his thoughts. </p><p>“I talked to Jaehyung as well as Younghyun and Dowoon about the book of vampires because I know what your mother told you since yesterday”, the guardian admitted with his gaze shying away from Changbin’s. The vampire felt a little bit uneasiness settle in the pit of his stomach. He was king now but still unable to properly hide the book of vampire from anyone. He should finally learn that. After all, the book of vampires could become something destructive in the wrong hands but he trusted Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon’s judgment. They talked to the guardian about it, so it should be alright, hopefully. </p><p>“I wanted to talk to you about it alone because I don’t know how much your friends are aware of the might this book holds, or if they know of its existence. Especially if it’s true what your mother said”, the guardian went on, finally meeting Changbin’s eyes. The vampire already knew where Taeil was going with this. If the guardian knew what his mother told him before her death he probably wanted to suggest using the old artifacts full potential. </p><p>“You want me to try to use its full potential?”, Changbin questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked directly into Taeil’s black orbs while the older male nodded. The guardian’s eyes seemed to darken, becoming more serious; which made Changbin feel a light shiver running down his spine. </p><p>“If you are able to unlock the book of vampires we could get information on every hunter and huntress, everyone they associate themselves with and we could find out more about Zendala if we do it right”, the guardian explained. Changbin understood the guardian’s reason but Taeil’s darkened mimic told him this wasn’t everything. </p><p>There was a silence the vampire didn’t dare to break. Even though his Red Glow hadn’t completely disappeared yet he could feel his heart hammering against his rib cage and his palms getting a little sweaty. What did Taeil really want to try with the book of vampires?</p><p>“I want to ask you something, Changbin”, Taeil spoke up, breaking the silence. Changbin looked into his black eyes of the guardian as a sign for him to continue. He dearly hoped Taeil wouldn’t purpose an idea Changbin couldn’t agree on as someone, whose duty it was to protect the book of vampires because he wanted to help NCT more than ever. </p><p>“When I exchanged information with your group through Seungmin I received some names from you or rather a small list. The names were Seo Ahri, Seo Shiwon, Kim Eve, Kim Athea, Hwang Minji and Lee Minho. Does this ring a bell?”, the guardian asked, making Changbin freeze in his spot. Those were the names Jisung had mumbled in his sleep after having a vision weeks ago but hearing it now was more terrifying. </p><p>Seo Ahri and Seo Shiwon were the names of his parents, who have died just a day ago and if Taeil was suggesting what Changbin thought then this list was a death list. Taeil must have noticed how Changbin froze because his voice became a bit softer when he spoke up again. </p><p>“Changbin I need to know who Kim Eve, Kim Athea and Hwang Minji are, so we can protect them before it’s too late”, the guardian stated. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>“Think a bit faster Ten or do you enjoy watching you friend suffer?”, Zendala asked while walking around Ten, who was chained to a metal chair by his ankles and wrists. The chains had jade in them, which absorbed a demi-dragon’s power without mercy. As an addition to those chains Ten also had a muzzle tied around his head, so he couldn’t spit fire at anyone no matter how much he wanted that. </p><p>But that wasn’t everything. Apparently Zendala did her homework on demi-dragons because she was aware of every weak point they had, which was why Ten still had the jade dagger stuck in his back and two carefully placed needles between his neck and collarbones. Those restricted his movements a lot and his wings were completely blocked. They hung on Ten’s back like some dead weight, completely unmovable by the demi-dragon. </p><p>Zendala halted behind Ten and laid her hands on top of his shoulders. She bend down a bit so she was on the same eye level with him. She couldn’t help but smirk when she saw the other demi-dragon she caught being chained to the opposite wall. Ten had to look at Jaehyun, there was no other way, and it was the most gruesome torture he could have imagined. Why? Because Jaehyun was covered in his own blood and barely conscious most of the time. His shirt was soaked in the red liquid and mostly ripped from the spells Zendala used to hurt him. </p><p>Currently Jaehyun limply hung there, not moving an inch. His eyes were barely open and the only sign that he was still alive. His blond hair lost their pinkish tint and stuck to his sweaty forehead. Every little breath he took seemed painful for him. The enchanted gag, which had priorly muffled his screams and kept him from spitting fire was tightly tied around his head. Too tightly, if you asked Ten. If the older demi-dragon could do anything to help the younger male or straight up kill Zendala he would do it without hesitating for a second. </p><p>“Think faster, Ten”, Zendala mused beside Ten’s ear with a wicked smirk on her lips. She enjoyed torturing the two and wasn’t afraid of showing it. There was no denying that she was a sadist psychopath with an unexplainable deep hatred towards her own kind. </p><p>“Tell me how to enter the NCT headquarter and I will unchain Jaehyun and let you hold him for the evening. I will even let you heal some of his wounds with your “Golden Breath”. Doesn’t that sound nice?”, Zendala offered, acting like she was being generous while a wicked smirk was visible on her face. </p><p>Ten glared at the female warlock. He knew better then trusting her but one glance at Jaehyun made her offer sound so tempting. “You are wasting your time”, Ten said lowly. Zendala straighten her back and dug her nails into to Ten’s shoulder, making the demi-dragon flinch. </p><p>“How long do you think he can keep up with my torture spells, Ten? I don’t give him more than a week. Maybe a week is a bit too long but he could surprise me”, she stated, letting go of Ten’s shoulders, so she could slowly walk up to Jaehyun. She could feel Ten’s panic even though she didn’t look at him. It made her wicked smirk come back again. “It won’t take long until he breaks”, Zendala thought to herself, while she mustered Jaehyun. There was no denying that the young demi-dragon was powerful and handsome. He could surely achieve a lot if he set his mind to it. </p><p>“It’s almost a shame he will leave this world because of your uncooperative nature, Ten”, Zendala said and grabbed Jaehyun’s chin, so she could lift up his head a bit. “He is very pretty, a powerful demi-dragon and probably has a lot of unused potential. I am really asking myself where Lee Taeyong managed to pick up all of his members. Each one has something different to offer and more power than you would except”, she continued, turning Jaehyun’s head from side to side, still mustering him. She had no special thought in mind while looking at the young male.  </p><p>The blond demi-dragon barely registered his head’s movement and just let Zendala do it without protesting. Zendala looked over her shoulder back to Ten, whose bronze eyes glimmered with a mixture of both fear and anger. </p><p>Suddenly there was a knock on the metallic door of the room. Zendala let Jaehyun’s head drop again and walked over to the door, opening it with a nonverbal spell. A figure hidden under a black cloak stood in the door and gestured Zendala to follow them. The female warlock didn’t hesitate to leave the room with the unknown person but before she turned her full attention towards the figure she double checked if the room was locked, so her two prisoners had no chance of escaping. </p><p>“Do we need to go to my office?”, Zendala asked the figure. The figure simply nodded as an answer. The female warlock with the blue hair took the lead and walked towards her office with the unknown figure following her. Zendala chose a route where they wouldn’t meet any hunters, so the unknown person wouldn’t be seen. The office of Zendala wasn’t far away, so the two reached it fairly quickly. Zendala entered her office letting the cloaked figure slip inside without any hunter noticing them before she entered herself. </p><p>“At some point I will have to tell Reinhard about you, sister. I’m pretty sure he noticed you when you attended the decapitation instead of me”, Zendala said while locking the door and checking if the isolation spell she put over er office was still properly working. The figure under the cloak sighed deeply. </p><p>“Just tell him I’m your informant and helper as well as the person who helped you take down the barrier of the supernatural world and we should be fine”, they answered and took of their hood to reveal a pretty and young female with long silver hair and light blue eyes. </p><p>“Hopefully he believes that. He slowly begins to question my actions and wants to speed up our plans”, Zendala scoffed and walked over to her sister. Her gaze softened when she looked at the other female. She had to admit she had missed her sister. </p><p>“I’m glad to see you again, Shiela”, she stated and hugged the other woman. Shiela let out a little laugh and hugged Zendala back. </p><p>“I am glad to see you too, Rin”, she breathed out shortly before they parted, letting her hands linger on her sister’s shoulders for just a moment longer. “But we aren’t here for a reunion are we? I got the files you asked me for two days ago. Well not all of them yet but I am working on it”, Shield continued and took two rather thick files out, which had been hidden underneath her cloak. Zendala’s eyes lit up when she saw them. </p><p>“You are amazing, Kumiko”, she stated, using her sister’s birth name. Shiela scrunched up her nose at the mention of her birth name but she gave Zendala the files anyway. </p><p>“Sadly those are only the files form Miroh High and the university near it. I still need to find a way to get through the security spells of the other schools in and near Yellow Wood. The security of Miroh High and the university near it is pretty good, so it took me some time to get through.”, Shiela added, while Zendala was already skipping through the files. Her sky blue eyes scanned over the pages in a fast pace. </p><p>“I also added a bit of information I received over my time at Miroh High. It wasn’t much but maybe it will help you”, Shiela ended and crossed her arms over her chest while looking into the files Zendala was skipping through. Zendala suddenly stopped the action at one specific page. There was a picture of a boy with dark blue hair, slightly chubbier cheeks and beautiful sky blue eyes. </p><p>“I just remembered I never really asked you how he was doing when you worked at Miroh High”, the blue-haired warlock stated, while she continued looking at the picture of the student, whose name was Han Jisung. Shiela looked at her sister with sympathy being evident in her eyes. </p><p>“His uncle and his strange visions gave him a hard time for the most part but he had his best friend Seungmin, who took care of him so I never actively interfered. This year he also made a lot of other friends, so I didn’t worry about him at all”, the younger woman answered with the ghost of a smile on her face. </p><p>“Good”, Zendala said and turned over the page where she was met with a familiar face. The boy on the picture had black hair, a pretty face with pulp lips and a mole under his left eyes </p><p>“Hwang Hyunjin”, Zendala said out loud while scanning through the bit of information besides the picture. There wasn’t really something that caught her eye about this boy. The only remarkable thing was his species. </p><p>“He is one of Jisung’s friends”, Shiela added but Zendala wasn’t really focusing on her sister right now. Instead she was looking at the name of the boy’s mother and the bit of information, which was noted down. It was briefly mentioned that Ms. Hwang was a mixed blood between a siren and a kitsune, which was an interesting combination. </p><p>“His mother is a mixed blood. That is a very rare sight”, she commented and looked up to met her sister’s gaze. Shiela nodded in agreement.  </p><p>“It is. Especially the combination of a kitsune and a siren is a very rare sight but I think there are also two other persons, who could interest you if you think a mixed blood like Hwang Minji is rare”, Shiela stated and took the file out of her sister’s hands, so she could search for the profile of the two people she mentioned. She took out the two profiles, closed the file and handed them to Zendala. </p><p>The blue-haired warlock looked at the profiles of Kim Seungmin and Kim Byungho, two half brothers Their species were crossed out but Shiela took her time to write something above it. </p><p>“Thanks to my work as a nurse I know that those two aren’t warlocks. Seungmin is a demon. I could feel that very clearly after I scanned him with my magic when he got knocked out by something just earlier this school year, so it’s a very recent discovery and the reason I’m only telling you this now”, Shiela explained. The young woman then tapped on the profile of the other boy with the name Kim Byungho.  </p><p>“Byungho on the other hand is something I still can’t properly describe. Not that long ago when I checked him for injuries after he was drained of his magical energy I could feel both light magic and dark magic in him. It’s nothing I have ever heard of, which left me if the only option of him being a mix. A mix of pure light and pure darkness. An angel and a demon”, Shiela explained, looking up to meet her sister’s gaze. The older woman just stared at the picture of the two boys for a while longer. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing because it was too good to be true. </p><p>“I wish you would have told me that earlier”, Zendala stated, finally looking up to meet her sister’s gaze. There was no accusation in her tone or anything negative. Shiela lightly nodded and sighed, bringing up her hand to rub her temples. </p><p>“I wish that too but it was a risk I wasn’t ready to take. I was the only one at Miroh High, who knew of this. I am not even sure if the headmaster of Miroh High knew this. Besides I only got lucky since I was only able to scan them once in my time there”, Shiela said. Zendala studied the profile of the two creatures, who shouldn’t even exist on earth, again. </p><p>“I need to get the hunters ready for another attack. We will get ourselves a siren-kitsune mix, a demon and an angel-demon mix. If we can extract and use the power of those three we can reach our goal sooner than we thought”, Zendala almost cheered, looking at her sister. Shiela showed a bit of a smile. </p><p>“I really hope that, so we can erase all supernatural creatures and hunters as soon as possible and finally bring peace to everyone”, Shiela sighed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0057"><h2>57. The past and the future</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin tries to figure out how to unlock the book of vampires and the Kim family has a little meeting.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin let out a frustrated groan when the book of vampires continued to show him the profiles of only vampires. “That is not what I want, you stupid book”, he yelled, suppressing the need to punch something. He has been trying for hours to somehow unlock the artifact’s true potential but nothing was working. No matter how hard he tried the book would continue to show him only vampire profiles. </p><p>“Hyung, please calm down. Getting angry won’t make it do what you want”, Jisung chimed in. The blue-haired warlock had been with Changbin for the past few hours, trying to somehow help his friend even though the pages of the book were blank for him. He couldn’t see the profiles that could be projected into the air nor could he read the names, which showed up on the pages. For him the book just magically skipped through his own pages when Changbin said a name. </p><p>The warlock had basically no clue why he was even here since the vampire only told him that he needed his help. Changbin did explain to his friends that he needed to find Kim Eve, Kim Athea and Hwang Minji and therefore needed to unlock an old vampire artifact but he did that very quickly without much detail. Luckily, thanks to Hyunjin, Jeongin, Jisung and Chan they found out who Kim Eve, Kim Athea and Hwang Minji were just by talking a bit. </p><p>Kim Eve was Byungho’s mother, Kim Athea was the mother of Seungmin’s and Byungho’s half brother Kim Minseok aka Woosu and Hwang Minji was Hyunjin’s mother and Jeongin’s aunt. After getting that information NCT already send some people out to get them to come to the headquarter but they haven’t returned yet as far as Jisung and Changbin knew. The two had been staying in the little meeting room with the book of vampires for hours now. </p><p>The little list, which was predicted by Jisung without him knowing should stay a secret between Changbin and Taeil since they wanted to avoid any kind of panic but the vampire prince suspected that the guardian had told the people, who needed to know it for rather obvious reasons. After all nobody would randomly start searching for three different person without a solid reason. The “official” explanation for this search was rather simple because Taeil had told the members of Stray Kids that they just needed to get those three persons to the headquarter because there was a possibility they could be targeted by the hunters. Technically this wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t the whole truth either. </p><p>Taeil and Changbin had one very important agreement though, which was not telling the rest of the members of Stray Kids of this possible death list to prevent them from panicking. Especially Minho shouldn’t be told this because it could cause extreme paranoia and would probably affect everyone in his surroundings negatively, which was an reasonable argument. </p><p>Changbin let out a frustrated huff and stopped the nervous pacing he had fallen into after getting frustrated with the book of vampires. Jisung was right getting angry and irritated didn’t help him at all. He looked out of the window where you could see the night sky. The stars lit up the dark night and helped Changbin clear his mind. A part of the vampire wished Seungmin was here since the redhead could read the book of vampires and always seemed to find a solution to everything. </p><p>“Everything okay, hyung?”, Jisung asked worriedly. Changbin heard the other approaching and then felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He was glad he wasn’t alone here because he would go nuts otherwise. Jisung was the only non-vampire person, who knew of the book of vampires for a valid reason. After all the warlock was technically (and in Changbin’s mind practically) part of the Seo family. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m okay. I just want to figure out how to use the full potential of the book as fast as possible, so we can get information on every hunter we come across and hopefully this Zendala too”, Changbin answered, still looking up to the stars. Taeil had reminded him of this ability he should have according to his mother. It sounded stupid but it was true. Even under the influence of the Red Glow Changbin’s head had been occupied with actively trying to block everything bad out, it never occurred to him to try unlocking the book of vampires. </p><p>“Maybe we should call it a day”, Jisung spoke up beside Changbin, ripping the vampire out of his thoughts. He looked over to his blue haired friend, finally realizing that Jisung was tired. Maybe even exhausted.  </p><p>“You seem tired hyung. And we can get nothing done when we are both exhausted as hell”, the blue-haired warlock reasoned, looking over the Changbin with a light smile tugging at his lips. As tempting the thought of sleep sounded Changbin shook his head lightly. He couldn’t sleep just yet but that shouldn’t stop Jisung.</p><p>“I wouldn’t be able to sleep but I’m not forcing you to stay if you want to go to our room”, Changbin said, looking at the warlock once more. Jisung looked out the window, seemingly processing Changbin’s suggestion, which made the vampire realize once again, that the warlock really could use some sleep and time with his boyfriend  </p><p>“Go and cuddle up to Minho-hyung”, the vampire added teasingly in hopes of getting the warlock to go. Instead Jisung lightly punched his shoulder, making the black-haired male laugh lightly. A short silence before Jisung spoke up again. </p><p>“I’m glad that you are yourself again”, the warlock admitted, which caused Changbin to look at him in surprise. This sounded so oddly familiar. Who had said that to him before? </p><p>Jisung smiled a bit when he saw his hyung’s surprise written all over his face. “Maybe give us an explanation to that red glow in your eyes, which somehow must be linked to your emotions, soon, alright?”, the warlock asked. The vampire scratched his nose while nodding as an answer. He forgot that his friends had no clue what a Red Glow was and how it affected a royal vampire but right now his priority was to get Jisung to have some sleep. </p><p>“So will you go to bed now?”, Changbin questioned, looking out of the window again. Jisung’s sudden yawn was the perfect answer to his question. “Go to bed and your boyfriend”, the vampire chuckled, more or less repeating what he had already said. </p><p>“I don’t want to leave you alone though, so you have to go with me”, the warlock replied cheekily. Changbin shook his head with a little smile and turned his gaze to Jisung again. “I need to try some more things with the book. I will come in an hour. Promised”, he answered and stuck out his pinky. The warlock chuckled lightly before he hooked his pinky around Changbin’s. </p><p>“You better keep the pinky promise or karma will get you”, Jisung stated with a little grin on his face. Changbin just huffed and lightly rolled his eyes. Sometimes Jisung was really childish. </p><p>“I know and now go. Minho-hyung is probably waiting for you”, Changbin said and ushered Jisung out of the room, even though the warlock wanted to protest against the last part of what the vampire had said. </p><p>When the door was closed and Changbin was alone in the room; he turned to the book of vampires again but somehow his mind couldn’t focus on the task at hand. Instead his thoughts were occupied with the question why “I’m glad you are yourself again” sounded so familiar to him. Who had said that to him before? </p><p>He frowned in concentration while trying to remember until it hit him and he felt like the stupidest person on the entire planet. Jae had said something similar after Changbin had been functioning on his Red Glow for a whole week. </p><p>“I’m so stupid. How could I forget that?”, the vampire asked himself quietly while facepalming. He had talked to Sungjin, Dowoon, Younghyun and Jae just yesterday evening. He really shouldn’t have forgotten that so quickly. </p><p>Slowly a bit of guilt began to eat away at the vampire’s consciousness because he remembered how tiered his hyungs had seemed. The event from yesterday hadn’t only taken a toll on him but every other vampire, including Jae, Dowoon and Younghyun. </p><p>Changbin lightly bit his lip when his brain slowly began to connect some dots he hadn’t even thought about before his realization. Technically he was the vampire king but he hadn’t done anything for his people since the death of his parents. So who had kept the vampires at bay? Who kept them from taking revenge on the hunters immediately? </p><p>If Changbin was correct it was the doing of Day6 and probably Changkyun too. They were the vampires closest to him and the ones who took care of him as friends but also as close confidants of the royal family. </p><p>The vampire leaned on the table for support. How could he have been so blind? His hyungs took up so much work for him without saying one word and what did he do? Nothing. He let himself function on his Red Glow and behaved distant in order to sort his thoughts. He should have helped his hyungs or at least talked to them. </p><p>“Oh what a great king I will be”, Changbin thought to himself humorlessly. He looked at the book of vampires, which still laid opened on the table. The pages were filled with thousands of names, which belonged to vampires all over the world and from every century since the creation of the first vampire. With a huff Changbin closed the book. He would have to find a way to unlock it when he had a clear mind again. </p><p>He picked up the rather thick artifact and held it close to his chest almost automatically. His grip on the book tightened, letting his knuckles turn white. Why couldn’t the book just do what he wanted? It would help so many people and maybe even prevent them from getting hurt, captured or killed.</p><p>With a sigh Changbin brought his mind back to his hyungs and released the book from his iron grip. Should he check on Jae, Dowoon, Younghyun and Sungjin now? No, no it was too late for that. They should already be sleeping by now and the last thing Changbin wanted was disturb them.  </p><p>Suddenly there was a knock on the door, which startled the vampire. He automatically turned his attention turn towards the door, mentally asking who was still up so late. Maybe it was one of his friends? The vampire shook his head.</p><p>“Come in”, he called out to whoever had knocked. The door was opened and Hyunjin poked his head into the room. When the siren’s eyes met Changbin’s dark orbs a little smile became visible on his face. </p><p>“Good evening”, the siren greeted with a little wave. Changbin blinked in confusion and asked himself why the siren was still here. Should he be home with Jeongin? </p><p>“Why are you still here, Hyunjin?”, the vampire voiced his thoughts but then remembered that Hyunjin’s mother was on the list of Jisung. She should have been brought here by the NCT members. By all gods his question was just stupid but Hyunjin didn’t seem to mind. </p><p>“Well, my mother was brought here not so long ago by Kun, Xiaojun, Doyoung and Jeno, so my family officially stays at the NCT headquarter now”, Hyunjin explained with a little, cute smile on his lips. A part of Changbin was glad, that the siren took his stupid question so well but the other asked if that meant Kim Eve and Kim Athea were also here.</p><p>“What about Kim Eve and Kim Athea?”, the vampire questioned, hoping the siren knew the answer. Instead Hyunjin’s smiled dropped from his face and it scared Changbin but he didn’t want to show it. </p><p>“Well, they couldn’t really find the mansion Jisung described ... and nobody was able to reach Seungmin and Byungho. The members of Day6 also tired reaching out to them since Seungmin’s older brother is part of their group and as far as they know also at home but no avail”, the siren mumbled the last part. His gaze had dropped onto the ground and Changbin could sense Hyunjin’s worry for their friends. </p><p>Subconsciously Changbin held the book of vampires a bit closer to his chest. He tried to tell himself that Seungmin, Byungho and Wonpil were fine and probably just busy doing the gods know what. Besides Seungmin and Wonpil were demons and strong magic users; they could take care of themselves. </p><p>“It’s fine. They are fine. I’m sure of that”, the vampire said out loud, looking up to meet Hyunjin’s eyes, which showed the taller’s concern and a bit of fear. For some odd reason a part of Changbin wanted to tell Hyunjin that especially Seungmin and Wonpil would be fine because of their demonic powers, even though he knew it was not his secret to tell. The vampire lightly shook his head to get those thoughts away. </p><p>“They are strong and so is their family. I’m certain nothing bad happened to them. They are probably just experimenting with some spells or something similar. I’m sure Seungmin will tell us what’s up first thing tomorrow morning”, Changbin said, trying to reassure not only Hyunjin that their friends were fine but also himself. The siren seemed a bit comforted by the older’s words even though he still seemed worried. </p><p>For the sake of not worrying too much Changbin tried to think of a topic change but the only thing that came to his mind was the question of why Hyunjin was here and not sleeping or at least with his mother and Jeongin. It was the most ridiculous topic change but it would have to work. </p><p>“So, I’m still asking myself why you are here, Hyunjin? Shouldn’t you sleep or be with your mother?”, Changbin asked, hoping his topic change didn’t sound too forced. Hyunjin lightly chuckled, which oddly made Changbin feel a bit better instantly. </p><p>“I couldn’t really sleep, so while wandering through the corridors I came across Jisung, who said you were still working on something before he went to his room. I figured I could accompany you and of course get you to sleep in around an hour”, Hyunjin answered while his lips curled up into a little smile again. Changbin felt a nice warmth fill up his chest and a smile tugging at his lips. It was nice that Hyunjin thought about him but there was nothing Changbin could work on anymore. </p><p>“I just wanted to head out but you can still accompany me if you want”, the vampire replied while mirroring the siren’s smile. He didn’t know why but he also reached out a hand for the other to hold. Hyunjin’s smile widen a tiny bit and took the vampire’s hand without thinking much about it. </p><p>The two exited the room and walked down the empty corridors. Neither had a plan where they were going because Hyunjin didn’t want to sleep yet, meaning their assigned rooms weren’t the goal and Changbin was generally unsure what he should do now. Sure he could try to find his vampire hyungs to talk to them about his realization but he had already scratched that idea out of his head because didn’t want to disturb them at this late hour. </p><p>After a while of walking around aimlessly Hyunjin tugged at Changbin’s hand, taking the lead. They didn’t talk but currently it wasn’t needed. The siren lead Changbin to one of the lower floors of the headquarter, probably the one underneath the ground floor but Changbin wasn’t sure until he saw the little sign with “basement floor 1” written onto it. The vampire had never been on this floor before since he was told down here were just special training halls, which usually weren’t used very often. </p><p>The corridor they entered was very broad with five doors being visible. Two on the left and the right and one at the end of the corridor. Hyunjin seemed to have a very specific hall in mind since he walked directly to the door on the right end of the corridor. He opened the door without hesitation and revealed a grotto-like room to the vampire. </p><p>Beautiful dark blue light was illuminating the room, making it seem like they were in a real grotto at nighttime. The deep pool of water was still and reflected the high ceiling as well as the blue light, letting the room seem magical.</p><p>“Woah, this is just beautiful”, Changbin said in amazement while looking around a bit. The walls were covered with dark stone, that seemed so natural you almost forgot the plain walls of the corridors in the building. </p><p>“I know right?”, Hyunjin agreed with a wide smile on his lips and pulled the vampire deeper into the room. The door fell close behind them and completed the feeling of being in a real grotto. </p><p>“How did you know this place exists?”, Changbin asked looking at Hyunjin, which in retrospect maybe wasn’t the greatest idea because for one moment the vampire forgot how breathing worked. </p><p>Hyunjin just stood beside him with the dark blue light illuminating his facial features in the most breathtaking way you could imagine. His dark orbs reflected the clear water, letting them seem almost blue. The siren’s lips moved while he was talking but Changbin couldn’t understand the word. He was too caught up with looking at Hyunjin’s eyes, which shimmer beautifully.  When the siren turned his head towards Changbin, letting his eyes meet the ones of the vampire, the shorter male felt his cheeks heat up. </p><p>“Hyung? Did you listen to me or did you space out?”, the siren lightly laughed after noticing that the vampire was somewhere else with his thoughts. Changbin shook his head to get back to reality. </p><p>“I spaced out, sorry”, the vampire apologized, avoiding eye contact with the siren. It was purely so he wouldn’t be distracted again, not because his cheeks burned like he had been in the sun for too long. </p><p>“I will repeat myself then: Mark-hyung showed me this place when he trained some siren-related stuff”, the siren repeated what he had previously said. Changbin nodded showing that he had heard it now. </p><p>The vampire looked around again, in hopes of getting the blush on his cheeks under control. He let himself enjoy the calm atmosphere in this room and how it took you away from the stressful life in a city. The dripping of water filled the vampire’s ears and let him close his eyes for a short minute. He still held Hyunjin’s warm hand, which was a strong contrast to the rather cool grotto. Changbin noticed how his thought slowly went back to moment where Hyunjin looked just eternal. He couldn’t decide if that was good or not since wouldn’t it be bad to develop a crush on one of your closest friends? </p><p>Thinking - or better asking himself - this made him come across another thought. If there was the possibility of him developing a crush on Hyunjin, what did he feel for Seungmin? After all he really liked to be around Seungmin and had he feeling to being able to trust the redhead with everything while also being easily worried about him. </p><p>Changbin shook his head to hopefully get those thoughts away. He shouldn’t be thinking about something like that. The supernatural world was at war with the humans for the gods’ sake! He should think about strategies and not about his feelings. </p><p>“Hyung are you okay?”, he heard Hyunjin ask worriedly, which made him open his eyes again. He wanted to answer with “Yes, I am” but wouldn’t that be a lie? After everything that happened in the past months was anyone truly okay? </p><p>Changbin didn’t answer nor really looked at the siren, which lead Hyunjin to just let go of the vampire’s hand, so he could wrap his arms around the shorter male. The vampire lightly bit his lips when he felt his eyes getting glossy. He had to keep himself together. </p><p>“I’m right here if you need me. I hope you know that, hyung”, Hyunjin mumbled while letting his head rest on Changbin’s shoulder. The vampire took a shaky breath and allowed himself to lean onto the siren for a bit while being careful of hurting the other with the book that was now between them. There was no way of expressing how glad Changbin was for Hyunjin to be there for him.</p><p>“Yeah I know and I can’t express how thankful I’m for that”, Changbin replied quietly, burying his face in the siren’s shoulder. <br/>————————————</p><p>Seungmin hated destiny, hated fate or whatever it was that decided to let Eve perish. The young redhead was attached to Byungho’s side like a koala and he wouldn’t let go unless it was absolutely necessary. The older’s eyes were lifeless and didn’t seem like he wanted to move at all.</p><p>Never in his entire seventeen years of living had Seungmin seen Byungho this broken and sad. The older male just seemed dead inside and lifeless. It was simply heartbreaking. But not only Byungho mourned his mother’s death. To Seungmin and Wonpil, Eve was more of a mother to them than Lilith. She encouraged them, supported them, dried their tears if they had none else to turn to and always tried to hold their broken family together. Now everything seemed to be in pieces. </p><p>Byungho was brought to Seungmin yesterday by their father, which had been a big surprise for the young demon but he didn’t ask questions when he had seen Byungho’s state. Their father had told Seungmin briefly about Eve’s passing before he left the two brothers alone. Seungmin had called Wonpil, Woosu and Samuel in a panic and had been kind of amazed how fast his three brothers had stormed into his room where they found a crying Byungho and a sobbing Seungmin. </p><p>The five brothers ended up sleeping in Seungmin’s room, not leaving each other’s sides. Woosu being a happy pill along with Samuel had even managed to lift the mood a little before they all had fallen asleep. </p><p>Right now the five brothers were seated in the living room of the mansion, where their father had called in a morning family meeting. For the first time in forever Seungmin, Wonpil and Woosu had openly rebelled against their mothers because they would stay with Byungho no matter. They didn’t care that Lilith didn’t want Wonpil and Seungmin near Byungho and that Woosu was supposed to stay away from his two demon brothers. </p><p>“Kim Minseok come over here this instant”, Athea almost yelled at her son, who didn’t budge to move from his spot beside Wonpil. He stared his mother down, who stood in front of him almost fuming with anger. </p><p>“I won’t because there is no point in that, mother”, the warlock with the white hair replied sharply. Athea’s face got red with rage but before she could say anything Lucifer stood up from the armchair he had been silently sitting in for the past ten minutes. He had been the first one in the mansion’s main living room, where the family meeting was held, but he hadn’t uttered a word until now. </p><p>“Enough of this, Athea. Let him be. He is old enough to make his own decisions”, Lucifer spoke up, looking at the female warlock. Athea shut her mouth and stayed silent, which earned her an amused smirk from Lilith. The female warlock silently took a seat in an armchair near the fire place while still looking irritated. </p><p>Seungmin couldn’t help but glare at his mother for a short second before he turned his whole attention to his father. Lucifer situated himself in front of the fireplace. It highlighted his horns and made his dark eyes glow a bit more but he didn’t look mighty or intimidating, no, he looked defeated and sad. It let something close to sympathy stir in Seungmin’s chest because he knew that his father may be the devil but he couldn’t hide his emotions like a demon. After all he had been an angel once. </p><p>“All of you more or less know what happened to Eve. To clarify this for everyone: Eve is dead. She was killed by her fellow angels for crimes she didn’t commit”, Lucifer began in a calm tone, turning the ring on his right ring finger. It was his wedding ring, whose counterpart was now worn by Byungho. Yesterday Seungmin had already noticed the ring on Byungho’s pinky but now it was almost smacked into his face that Eve must have given it to his older half brother shortly before she died. </p><p>“I am assuming the angels will go on a little hunt somewhere in the future, so I am warning all of you for obvious reasons but don’t worry too much about it because I will upgrade the shields and barriers around the mansion, so all of you are at least safe here”, the devil continued. He folded his hands behind his back and raised his head a bit, letting himself seem more composed while a sad glimmer remained in his dark eyes. </p><p>“Why do the angels hate us so much?”, Samuel mumbled from his spot between his mother and Woosu. Seungmin glanced at his younger brother, seeing how the siren had his gaze fixed onto his lap while he leaned onto Rana.  </p><p>“Because with the birth of the five of you I screwed up the angels’ precious destiny”, Lucifer answered his youngest son. Seungmin let his attention drift back to his father, who was mustering his five sons for a brief second. “They hate you because of me”, he added, letting his arms drop to the side. </p><p>“Oh Lucifer don’t be so hard on yourself”, Athea spoke up, standing up from her place. She walked over to Lucifer, so she could lay her hand onto his shoulder in a comforting manner. Seungmin would have almost scoffed at the female warlock’s sudden change in behavior. At first she was being her hateful self and now she was Lucifer’s loving girlfriend. </p><p>“The angels are just jealous because you successfully rebelled against the gods”, Athea continued trying to reassure Lucifer he has done nothing wrong while in reality everything was his fault. Sure, the five Kim brother only existed because of him. He was their father, after all, but Seungmin knew he only had children because of his stupid hatred towards heaven, the angels and the gods. </p><p>Seungmin almost missed how Byungho tensed under his hold. It was barely noticeable and since he looked at his feet it was hard for Seungmin to read his mimic or look into his eyes. </p><p>“Listen everyone. We won’t get involved into the war between the supernatural creatures and the humans. We have our own battle to fight”, Lucifer continued, gently taking Athea’s hand off his shoulder. Suddenly Byungho stood up from his spot, freeing himself from Seungmin’s hold. For a second Seungmin didn’t even realize his brother wasn’t beside him anymore. </p><p>“That’s ridiculous”, the brunette got out with gritted teeth. He raised his head to look his father in the eyes. His eyes shone in a bright gold, which shocked both Athea and Lucifer. The devil wanted to say something but Byungho didn’t let him. </p><p>“The angels can’t come down to earth, which is the reason why I’m still alive and the reason why you could get three other children after me”, the brunette stated, glaring at his father. “Does the name Adam sound familiar to you? A pretty mighty angel and my mother’s ex-husband, isn’t he? He was the one, who told me that I am the one child, who truly messed up the world’s destiny. He was the one who wanted to kill me as soon as possible but couldn’t because he wasn’t allowed to go down to earth. He was the one who threw a spear at me but hit my mother because she protected me!”, the further Byungho got, the louder he became until he shouted the last sentence into his father’s face. Tears began to stream down the brunette’s face again. </p><p>Seungmin felt like the breath was knocked out of his lungs while his brain tried desperately to get a grip on what Byungho had said. He didn’t know Eve had a ex-husband or that she was even married before tying the knot with his father but more importantly he had no clue why Byungho should be the main reason for a messed up destiny. </p><p>“It’s my fault that my mum died because I am not supposed to exist”, Byungho barely got out because his voice broke mid sentence. That was it. Seungmin immediately got up and wrapped his arms around his brother’s torso from behind while some silent tears escaped his eyes. It made sense that Eve died protecting Byungho. After all, she loved him more than anything and she surely wouldn’t want him to blame himself for her death or a messed up destiny. </p><p>“All of it is my fault”, Seungmin could hear Byungho repeat in a whisper before the older’s legs began to give out. Seungmin managed to gently guide them into a kneeling position while staying attached to Byungho’s back. Non of this was the brunette’s fault. Not his mother’s death and not the thing with destiny. </p><p>“It’s not your fault, hyung”, Seungmin mumbled against the older’s back while hoping the brunette would believe his words. Suddenly Wonpil, who technically was still on Byungho’s right side, stood up abruptly, which almost startled Seungmin. </p><p>“Back off”, the older redhead said lowly. Seungmin had to look over Byungho’s shoulder to see, who the older demon was talking to. It was Lucifer, who had walked towards Byungho and Seungmin and was now raising his hands in surrender towards his oldest son. </p><p>“No need to get protective. I won’t do anything, Wonpil”, he answered and sat down in front of Byungho, whose head hung low again. Seungmin understood Wonpil’s reaction but just one look into Lucifer’s eyes was enough to tell, that he meant no harm. </p><p>“Let me tell you something, Byungho”, he began using a calm, kind voice, which was very unusual for him. “Adam is an idiot. He always has been a control freak, believed in the gods’ rules without questioning them and did everything the gods asked him to do. Lilith, as you may already know, was his first wife but he sealed her into the earth after she disobeyed him once. Your mother Eve was his second wife and supposed to be obedient to him and the gods”, Lucifer explained while his dark eyes were only focused on Byungho. </p><p>“In my time as angel I often had to watch your mother. She was such a vital, active and kind creature. She would spend hour running around in Eden talking to all sorts of animals, helping them if they needed it”, he continued to talk. When he mentioned Eve his voice became so fond Seungmin thought an entirely different person was talking. </p><p>“I loved watching your mother going through her self made routines of helping all animals she came across but after some time I came to the realization that Eve was really unhappy. The gods forbid her to have a child with Adam, which was the only thing she wanted for herself. I couldn’t watch her be unhappy, so I promised her to grant her wish in the form of a snake”, Lucifer went on with the story. Seungmin was so focused on his father he almost didn’t notice how Byungho lightly raised his head.</p><p>“A lot happened between me making that promise and actually fulfilling it but when I met Eve again twenty years ago. She was to the one, who made me keep my promise and let me tell you, your mother became the happiest person in the entire universe when she got to hold you for the first time. She loved you more than the entire world. Loved you more than she could ever love another person”, Lucifer continued talking in a fond tone. There was a light, sincere smile tugging at his lips. </p><p>“Maybe your birth wasn’t planned by the gods and let their precious destiny bend in unhealthy ways but it fulfilled your mother’s only wish and gave you the power to resist fate”, he ended and stood up again with the light smile still being evident on his lips.  </p><p>“Maybe you could even be the one to end the war with the help of your friends and brothers. I can’t keep you locked up in here anyway”, Lucifer added, slowly picking up his cocky tone again. He walked some steps back and turned to his whole family again in front of the fireplace. The sadness in his eyes was replaced by something else Seungmin would carefully describe as determination.  </p><p>“Forget what I said about the angels and the war. If you want to fight alongside your friends I won’t stop you. If you find yourself facing a dead end and you are desperate enough to ask the devil for help, I will help you but I won’t participate in this war directly neither will Lilith”, he announced looking at everyone he called and considered to be his family. A smirk was slowly crawling up his lips, letting Seungmin be reminded once more that his father was the devil.</p><p>“That’s all I have to say for today”, Lucifer ended his little speech, folding his hands behind his back.</p>
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<a name="section0058"><h2>58. Forgotten friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Johnny notices Taeyong’s exhaustion and the Lee brothers meet an old friend.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Alright so BTS just arrived at our headquarter this morning. KARD joined us yesterday night. MonstaX and ACE will arrive later today and we are still waiting for GOT7 but according to Jackson they will arrive in Yellow Wood on the 11th of February, which is tomorrow. IZ and most members of Day6 are already here and Oneus will also join us later today”, Johnny reported, walking up and down in front of Taeyong’s desk. The harpy was looking at a file in his hands, where the things he said were summarized. </p><p>“We are still trying to get into contact with the Kim family but no avail. Hwang Minji on the other hand has arrived here yesterday evening. A very impressive lady, may I add”, the harpy continued and looked up briefly to see his leader’s reaction. Taeyong, who sat behind his desk, raised an eyebrow at the last statement but said nothing. </p><p>“The sudden disappearance of the Kim family is a mystery but according to Day6 we don’t need to worry about them since the father and head of the family is a very capable magic user and probably managed to hide his mansion and everyone, who lives in it, even from our eyes”, Johnny concluded, stopping his pacing to fully look at Taeyong. The guardian’s face remained rather expressionless, tempting Johnny to humor his leader a bit. </p><p>“Any questions?”, the harpy asked, using his “teacher voice” but with a bit of humor. He looked at the guardian with the scarlet red hair like he was his student but made it just a tad funnier, so he would get a smile from Taeyong. It worked because the other male’s lips did curve up in a small, almost unnoticeable smile. </p><p>“No, Mr. Suh”, the guardian answered with an amused huff. The harpy mirrored the little smile of his leader before he closed the file and put it onto Taeyong’s desk. Despite having succeeded in making Taeyong smile the guardian still looked tired. If you looked close enough you could even see dark circles forming under his eyes. </p><p>Taeyong was often tired the last two days, which was why a lot of things he usually did were carried out by Taeil, Kun or Johnny instead of him. The harpy knew very well that the reason for his leader’s exhaustion was the search for Jaehyun and Ten. </p><p>The guardian was the one who came up with the idea of using a technique, which would track down Ten and Jaehyun’s location by the soulmate bond both Demi-dragons shared with their leader. Yuta, Sicheng and Taeil were the ones Taeyong trusted to perform this spell technique on him and you didn’t need to know a lot about magic to know that this technique was extremely exhausting for the three magic users but especially drained Taeyong’s energy. After all, for this technique to work Taeyong was the one, who had to feel where Ten and Jaehyun were by following the bond, which connected them. A side effect of this was that Taeyong could feel a huge part of the pain they must be experiencing.</p><p>Johnny had told Taeyong multiple times that the spell technique could also be performed on him since he too shared a soulmate bond with both demi-dragons but the guardian was stubborn and insisted on doing it alone, so it would be faster. This lead Johnny to believe that whatever it was exactly Taeyong could feel through the soulmate bond, while he went through this procedure, it wasn’t anything good or pleasant. </p><p>It scared Johnny to know that people he loved and cared about were suffering and he could do nothing to help them. Even Taeyong, who sat right in front of him, was suffering in silence because the guardian felt responsible for everything bad that happened to his group and tried to make up for it by enduring something tiresome and draining. The only thing Johnny could do at the moment was to make sure he didn’t worry Taeyong and be there for him if he was needed. </p><p>“How is it going with the search by the way?”, Johnny asked, his voice becoming softer with each word. Taeyong meet his eyes and let a short sigh escape him before his gaze dropped back onto the table. </p><p>“We will hopefully have their exact location soon. Currently we know the surroundings of their position but we don’t have a precise location yet but we will continue working on that today”, the guardian answered while drawing invisible patterns with his pointer finger onto the smooth surface of his desk. The guardian’s dark blue eyes were focused on the desk rather than Johnny but the harpy could still see the exhaustion and pain in the beautiful deep blue orbs. </p><p>“Did Yuta already map out the surroundings?”, Johnny questioned, his voice still soft. His eyes remained on the guardian with the red hair, who seemed to refuse to look at him for some reason while his mind noted that Yuta was probably the busiest member of NCT right now. </p><p>The warlock with the purple hair was their best magic user because he could do anything with he set his mind to it. He was the one, who kept the barriers surrounding the headquarter in check, who helped Taeil and Sicheng with the injured members of the moon pack, who was researching the odd black crystal Taeyong had taken from the huntress Emily and who helped with the search of Ten and Jaehyun. </p><p>“Yuta is working on the maps with a bit of help from Renjun and Haechan, I think, but he won’t be able finish it without Ten’s and Jaehyun’s exact position”, Taeyong replied to Johnny’s question. The harpy mentally winced, thinking about the amount of work Yuta had right now. He would offer the warlock his help if he was a magic user but he really couldn’t say that it was uncommon for Yuta to have so many tasks at hand. It made him to NCT’s magic genius, after all. </p><p>“So everything works according to plan until now”, the harpy commented. Taeyong lightly nodded and leaned back into his chair. With his back resting against the big chair, he seemed smaller than he actually was. </p><p>“Sadly we aren’t working at the tricky part yet, so we shouldn’t jinx it”, Taeyong reminded, crossing his arms over his chest. His blue eyes still refused to meet Johnny’s dark brown orbs. The harpy knew his leader just tried to hide how vulnerable he was but it still made him feel a sting. </p><p>“It’s never bad to celebrate a little victory”, the harpy disagreed and walked around his leader’s desk. Taeyong followed his movement, letting their eyes finally meet when Johnny stood beside the guardian. The deep blue orbs of the male with the red hair shimmered with exhaustion, hidden pain and sadness. It made Johnny’s rib cage tighten just by looking at his leader. </p><p>“Don’t you want to rest before continuing the search?”, the harpy asked in a soft tone while he brought up one hand to gently run his fingers through the guardian’s red hair as a sort of comfort. Taeyong’s hair had always been surprisingly soft. The guardian sighed quietly while letting his eyes fall close. He leaned into Johnny’s touch, which made the harpy smile a little bit. </p><p>“Sicheng will come to get me as soon as he finished his training, which should be over in around twenty minutes. I wouldn’t do much resting”, the guardian mumbled as an answer. He shifted a bit in his seat just so he could lean more into the harpy’s gentle touch. </p><p>“Still better than nothing”, Johnny replied while he continued to run his fingers through his leader’s (and lover’s) hair. He was glad the action seemed to be soothing for the guardian. </p><p>“I won’t argue with you about this now”, Taeyong sighed and let his head lean on Johnny’s side. The harpy didn’t mind that and went from running his fingers through the other male’s red hair to just gently patting his head.</p><p>“Alright I won’t argue”, the harpy lightly laughed, knowing that the guardian was at least relaxing now. </p><p>—————————</p><p>“Felix kick a bit higher. Remember that you want to hit your opponent’s head”, Kun instructed the cat hybrid when he walked by the ginger and Jeongin. The ginger nodded and did the high kick he had been training again. This time he perfectly hit the spot of Jeongin’s magic shield he wanted to reach in the first place. </p><p>“Woah. That was really high, hyung”, the kitsune commented, who let his shield disappear. Felix showed a proud grin. He liked receiving compliments from the kitsune, even though he wouldn’t admit that to anyone. Especially not Minho because he would get teased for it. </p><p>“Well, your magic shield is pretty good too. You only had to renew it once even though I kicked it don’t know how many times”, the ginger complimented. Jeongin smiled wide at that, which made Felix immediately mirror it. </p><p>Suddenly the two heard a crash, which made them turn around immediately. Something - or better someone - rather large had managed to crash into one of the blocks in the trainings hall. By the sounds of it whoever that was took a pretty strong blow. Kun was already at the scene, helping a gigantic black wolf up. </p><p>“Oh my gods. I am so sorry, Jeno. I didn’t think the hit would be that strong”, you could hear Changbin say worriedly, who ran towards the werwolf with his vampiric speed. He seemed a bit panicked, which was a natural reaction. Just how much strength did Changbin really have? </p><p>“Don’t worry about it. The trainings hall isn’t enchanted for nothing, meaning I am totally fine”, Jeno answered, shaking himself to get his fur back into order. Sometimes it was almost unfair how easily werewolves could fix their fur but much more impressive was the fact that Jeno took the strong blow from Changbin like it was nothing. </p><p>“Don’t overdo it, you two. You have a little too much uncontrolled energy today”, Kun warned them. He seemed like a scolding mother with his hands on his hips and according to YangYang Kun could pass as one easily. </p><p>“We will be careful now”, Changbin said with a little nod. Felix was glad Changbin seemed more like himself again but he was unusually nervous and not not very concentrated today. He couldn’t keep still and seemingly didn’t have his strength under full control. </p><p>“Alright back to training everyone”, Kun called out, letting everyone resume to their previous position. Felix and Jeongin looked at each other before they got back into to their training. </p><p>“I think Changbin-hyung is more tired than anything. Just like Hyunjin-hyung. They probably went to bed late yesterday”, Jeongin mumbled. Felix nodded in agreement. He didn’t even notice when Changbin came to their room yesterday. After all he hadn’t notice Jisung coming in either. Felix  assumed Changbin must have gone to bed quite late since Jisung had been a little mad at him this morning. The warlock had mumbled something along the lines of a broken pinky promise. </p><p>Hyunjin, Jeongin and their mother/aunt had a room together, which was located next to the one that Felix, Changbin, Minho and Jisung occupied. Felix knew Jeongin was a rather light sleeper, so it was no surprise he knew that Hyunjin came to their room late at night. </p><p>Jeongin and Felix continued to train together while being supervised by Kun and Sicheng. It was a constant change between Felix attacking and Jeongin blocking and Jeongin attacking while Felix had to dodge. At some point they synchronized so much you couldn’t call it combat training anymore. </p><p>“Alright everyone. We will take a break for some time. If you want you can continue your training but don’t overdo it”, Kun announced loudly, so everyone in the hall could hear him. Everyone stopped their training for rather obvious reasons. Everyone wanted a break. They have been training for two hours already. </p><p>After the announcement of the break Kun and Sicheng left the training hall rather quickly. They probably had to get to a meeting or something. The older members of NCT were kept quite busy, after all.</p><p>“I really need that break”, Jeongin sighed, letting his arms drop to his sides. Felix chuckled at the younger’s reaction while stretching a little bit. He didn’t really feel tired but he figured he needed the break anyway, </p><p>“Stop laughing at me. Magic can be exhausting”, the kitsune retorted and cracked his knuckles to let his fingers relax. Jeongin often let his cracked his knuckles after training as Felix had observed over the last few days but that was not the point now. </p><p>“Oh? So physical exercise isn’t tiring?”, the ginger asked teasingly, knowing Jeongin was more of a magic user than physical fighter even though he could do both as a kitsune. The blond fox spirit just huffed as an answer and continued to do some kind of stretching excises with his fingers. </p><p>“This was so exhausting”, the two could hear Jisung whine not far away. They turned their heads into the direction of the warlock’s voice and saw how Jisung, Minho, Chan, Hyunjin and Yedam walked towards them. Changbin wasn’t with them, which confused Felix a bit. Did the vampire leave early or was he called to a meeting?</p><p>“Stop whining hyung. We are still training the basics”, Jeongin huffed, crossing his arms over his chest while looking at Jisung. Felix stopped himself from adding that Jeongin had whined about that too just some seconds prior. </p><p>“I know we are still learning the basics but they still exhaust you if you have to perform them over and over again”, the blue-haired warlock continued to whine and dramatically clung onto Minho for support. The cat hybrid with the hazelnut brown hair seemed entirely unbothered by that action. </p><p>“I never thought magic basics could look so complex”, Chan commented, letting Felix’s attention drift over to the male with the messy silver hair. The wolf hybrid wasn’t allowed to train with the rest of his group due his injuries, even though they healed very good according to Sicheng. That was the reason Chan just observed the training and sometimes voiced his thoughts. It was actually really useful to have an unbiased opinion on your technique from someone, who didn’t saw the terrible first-try performances. </p><p>Talking about terrible first-try performance Felix really wanted to know where Changbin was. The vampire seemed to be doing better but his sudden disappearance made Felix worry about him again. </p><p>“Quick question. Where is Changbin-hyung?”, Felix chimed in before he forgot to ask. Hyunjin turned his head towards Felix after a short yawn. The siren really was tired. </p><p>“Changbin went to talk to his vampire hyungs. They should be around since they probably need to organize some things”, Hyunjin answered. Felix gave the siren a little nod to show he understood. </p><p>“It’s getting a little full in the headquarter since some other groups arrived”, Yedam commented, speaking up for the first time. Felix knew NCT had called for their allies but he hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary today. In that point you had to add that he had only walked from his room to the training hall, so he didn’t see anyone besides the once you trained here. </p><p>“You already saw members of other groups in the headquarter?”, Jeongin asked the young wolf hybrid with the black hair. Yedam nodded while he showed a little smile. Felix somehow didn’t like it when Yedam smiled at Jeongin, which was ridiculous if he was honest with himself. </p><p>“I honestly didn’t think so many of our teachers from Miroh High were somehow connected to NCT”, the wolf hybrid mumbled that last part, making the others laugh lightly. Felix knew some of the teacher at Miroh High were in groups, which was natural, since some showed their group symbol and it was sometimes a huge topic in the cafeteria. </p><p>“As long as we don’t get homework I’m fine with all the teachers being here”, Jisung joked, earning another round of laughter. Jeongin looked like he suddenly got an idea, which made his face lit up in an adorable way. </p><p>“Oh, if Mr. Lee is here I will ask him to help me with some spells though”, Jeongin said while he smiled wide, showing off his dimples. </p><p>“That’s not even that stupid”, Jisung commented and nodded along while he was still leaning onto Minho. The older cat hybrid didn’t seemed to mind but Jisung was his mate, so he probably had a sort of privilege. </p><p>“Of course it’s not a stupid idea. It was mine after all”, the kitsune teased, showing Jisung a grin. Jisung showed a playful scowl and straightened his back, so he wasn’t leaning onto Minho anymore. </p><p>“Don’t get too cocky”, the warlock playfully warned. Jeongin stuck his tongue out at that, openly provoking the warlock with the blue hair. Still, Felix couldn’t help but think how cute Stray Kids’ youngest was. </p><p>“Okay that’s it”, Jisung said, starting to chase the kitsune. And what did Jeongin do? He used Felix as a shield. The rest could only lightly laugh or huff with amusement while Jisung tried to get hold of the young fox spirit, who basically just ran around Felix. The ginger got dizzy from watching them ran around him.</p><p>“Minho-hyung control your boyfriend a little”, Felix whined, hating how funny his vision got because of Jisung and Jeongin running around him. </p><p>“Alright alright”, the older cat hybrid said, catching Jisung smoothly in his arms. The warlock playfully fought against Minho’s hold but gave up quickly. If Felix wasn’t feeling so dizzy he would have noticed how Jisung melted a bit into Minho’s hold. </p><p>“You are my hero, Felix-hyung”, Jeongin, who was currently clinging onto Felix’s back, mumbled. The ginger couldn’t help but shiver a bit when the felt Jeongin’s breath fan over his neck but he hoped nobody noticed it. </p><p>Suddenly Felix’s ears picked up some voices in the distant and soon enough a familiar smell entered the training hall. It was a scent Felix hadn’t come across in a while. The ginger looked at his brother, who obviously noticed the scent too, according to his mimic, which had gotten dark within a second. </p><p>“What's wrong you two?”, Chan asked, sounding a little concerned about the two other hybrids. The male with the silver hair looked back and forth between the two Lee brothers. Felix let his eyes wander over the trainings hall, searching for the source of the familiar scent. </p><p>"We just noticed an old friend", Minho mumbled, looking at the entrance of the trainings hall. Felix followed his brother’s gaze and lightly bit his lip when he saw three males standing at the entrance of the hall talking to each other. He didn't know who the male with the pink hair or the brunette was but the blond guy was very familiar to him. </p><p>The blond male had seemingly noticed the Lee brothers too now because he stopped his conversation with the two unknown males and looked directly into Felix and Minho's direction. He didn't seem very pleased, which confused his two companies as well as Minho's and Felix's friends.</p><p>Felix felt a certain nervousness crawling up his skin when he locked eyes with the blond guy. About a year ago he would have been glad to look into the amber orbs of the blond male but now he feared Minho would fight that guy with all his might. </p><p>"Who is that?", Jeongin asked Felix quietly, laying his hands onto the ginger’s shoulder as a form of silent support. The young cat hybrid was glad for the little gesture because it kept him grounded while a lot of memories came up. Those memories weren’t pleasant to him. </p><p>"He is the one, who should have been leader of the Sky Clan instead of my parents", the ginger replied in a whisper, "Kim Taehyung".</p>
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<a name="section0059"><h2>59. Past issues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minho reveals why he and Felix know Taehyung and Changbin talks to his vampire hyungs.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jisung became a bit scared when Minho’s mood dropped so abruptly. Yes, Lee Minho was one of the most unpredictable creatures Jisung had ever met but even for him this kind of defensive behavior was unusual. The blond male, who had fixated Minho and Felix with his eyes, looked very irritated and stalked towards them like some kind of predator. </p><p>The warlock wished he had a good nose like Chan or Minho, so he could already tell what this guy was for a type of creature, so he could brace himself. The unknown blond had no physical traits like a pair of ears, fangs or a tail, which revealed his species of supernatural creature instantly, so Jisung’s only option was to guess. </p><p>“What are you two doing here?”, the blond male growled when he stood just two meters away from the group, obviously talking to just Minho and Felix, who were still his main focus. Jisung could feel how Minho tensed beside him and slowly let the arms, which he had put around Jisung drop. </p><p>“Well guess why”, the cat hybrid with the hazel nut hair shot back at the unknown male with an irritated undertone. A very deep, animalistic growl escaped the blond’s throat. He looked ready to bounce at Minho but if that happened Jisung would let him jump against a magical shield for sure. He didn’t care who this guy was; if he dared to attack Minho he would have to put up with Jisung too.  </p><p>“Tae what has gotten into you? Calm down”, a voice behind the blond guy spoke up. It was the rather small male (even though he was taller than Jisung) with the pink hair and white fairy wings on his back. He quickly walked forward, grabbed “Tae” by his arm and yanked him back, bringing a good amount of distance between him and Minho. For safety measures Jisung wrapped his arms around Minho’s waist, so the cat hybrid couldn’t get anywhere without having to shake the warlock off first. </p><p>“Jimin let me go. I didn’t do anything”, the blond protested and ripped his arm out of the fairy’s hold. He was still irritated but Jisung noticed that he spoke a bit softer with the pink haired male. </p><p>“Just tell us what’s up, hyung”, the third unknown male with the dark hair mumbled, sounding very concerned. He joined the fairy’s side and somehow Jisung was convinced the brunette was a werewolf because of his broad frame. Jisung looked up to Minho, who was still glaring at the blond with an unreadable expression on his face. </p><p>“Hyung what’s going on?”, he whispered, so hopefully only the cat hybrid could hear him. The older didn’t respond nor did he look at the warlock. He was still focused on the unknown male with the blond hair.</p><p>“Minho-hyung”, Jisung tried to get the cat hybrid’s attention again but this time he held the cat hybrid a tad tighter. Minho seemingly noticed this and turned his head, so he was facing his mate. Just looking into the warlock’s eyes was seemingly enough to let the cat hybrid calm down again. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Jisung”, he mumbled barely audible. Jisung lightly shook his head. Minho may have some strange thought processes sometimes but he must have a reason to be this irritated by just meeting eyes with the unknown blond guy. </p><p>“Just don’t do anything you could regret”, the warlock muttered and let his arms relax a bit, so they were put loosely around the cat hybrid’s waist. Minho could escape the warlock’s hold more easily now but Jisung trusted his boyfriend enough to not pick a fight right now. </p><p>Apparently the blond had been calmed down too by the fairy and the dark-haired male since his irritated aura, which had surrounded him, was slowly disappearing. His shoulders had slummed a little and his head hung low but Jisung could still feel a kind of suppressed anger in his stature. The fairy laid his hand on the blond’s shoulder in a sympathetic manner before he turned around and walked up to the incomplete Stray Kids group and Yedam. </p><p>“Sorry this got out of hand so quickly. I hope Tae didn’t scare you. I am Park Jimin and those two behind me are Kim Taehyung also known as V and Jeon Jungkook. We are from the group BTS, which is allied to NCT. That is the reason why we are here”, the fairy politely introduced himself and his two companions but Jisung couldn’t help but noticed how the fairy had glanced at Minho for a second. If the warlock had to guess he probably glanced at Felix too. </p><p>“Don’t worry about before we were just taken off guard”, Chan spoke up like the leader he now officially was. They were lucky enough the situation didn’t escalate but Jisung was sure if it had come down to it Chan would have done something even though he was injured. </p><p>“I am glad to hear that. We were just looking around so we will head back to the rest of our group now. I hope our future meetings are more pleasant and peaceful”, Jimin bid his goodbye in a polite but quick way. He did a little polite bow and showed a tiny smile before he turned around again to usher his two companions out of the tracings hall. Chan took in a deep breath and then looked at Minho after the three were gone. </p><p>“Care to explain what that was about?”, he asked and put his hands on his hips like a parent. His tone wasn’t accusing but you could hear that he had been completely taken off guard to his own annoyance. Minho looked at his leader with a rather neutral expression on his face. </p><p>“I didn’t start it, so why do I have to explain it?”, the cat hybrid asked a question in return. His voice was neutral but the light scowl on his face showed irritation. </p><p>“Hyung don’t be stubborn”, Felix chimed in, freeing himself from Jeongin’s embrace, so he could walk up to his older brother and Chan. The ginger looked back and forth between them before focused his gaze onto his older brother. </p><p>“No more secrets, remember?”, the ginger reminded, giving Minho no other choice. Jisung could see his boyfriend tense lightly under his hold and even though this whole situation had nothing to do with Jisung directly the warlock felt his chest tighten. </p><p>“Fine”, the older cat hybrid said with gritted teeth. “At our old school at the Sky Clan territory I had a fight with Taehyung once, which got him expelled and Felix and me had to transfer to Miroh High. It’s just that simple”, Minho explained with mild irritation in each word. He was obviously leaving out some major details but Jisung was the last person to blame him for that. Still, Jisung could hardly imagine Minho getting into a fight. </p><p>“Wait, wait, hold on”, Hyunjin spoke up, sounding confused. He waved his hands in the air while he seemed to think this over before speaking again. “You started the fight? You threw the first punch?”, he questioned, sounding like he didn’t believe himself what he was asking. It was a good question though but Jisung could guess the answer because he could feel Minho’s tense shoulders.</p><p>“He provoked it”, Minho huffed and crossed his arms over his chest defensively, letting his arms rest on top of Jisung’s, which were still losses put around the cat hybrid’s waist. </p><p>“To all gods”, the siren muttered to himself while his eyes widened a little bit. Jisung could understand Hyunjin’s surprise but he was a bit overreacting. Minho got into a fight once while Jisung stopped counting how many times he pulled a major prank on someone along with Seungmin. </p><p>“But there is more to that story, right? You wouldn’t punch someone for some stupid reason and Taehyung wouldn’t be expelled for having a fight he didn’t even properly start”, Jeongin chimed in, standing next to Felix now. The kitsune voiced what everyone thought but Jisung could feel how Minho didn’t want to talk about it. At least not now. </p><p>“Can we talk about this later?”, Jisung asked, looking primarily at Chan. He hoped dearly his leader would help him out now. “I would love to take a shower and change cloths”, the warlock added, trying to distracted everyone from the current topic for the sake of his boyfriend. Chan looked back and forth between his friends before sighing. He had gotten Jisung’s very subtle hint. </p><p>“Alright. Let’s take a shower and change cloths”, the wolf hybrid agreed to Jisung’s suggestion. Still, the older male turned to the Lee brother, focusing on Minho especially. </p><p>“You two know that you can tell us what exactly happened with Kim Taehyung, right?”, the wolf hybrid asked looking back and forth between the two Lee brothers. Minho barely reacted but Felix nodded. </p><p>“We know, hyung”, Felix answered, looking at Minho with a mix of worry, sympathy and sadness in his eyes. “We know”, he repeated when the older cat hybrid refused to look him in the eyes. </p><p>———————————</p><p>After Jimin had ushered them out of the hall. Taehyung had taken the lead or rather he quickly walked away from his two group members, who were also his mates. Jungkook tried to catch up to the blond without it being suspicious while Jimin did the same only a bit slower, probably because of what he had said to the white tiger hybrid to make him calm down.  </p><p>“Hyung wait”, Jungkook quietly called out, trying to stop Taehyung by laying his hand onto the blond shoulder. Taehyung stopped walking and abruptly turned around facing the brunette. He looked hurt and angry all over again. </p><p>“Don’t tell me I am overreacting too”, the blond hissed, almost scaring the brunette. It was what Jimin had said, shortly after the three had left the hall. The fairy hadn’t said it mean spirited but it was probably not the best choice of words right now. </p><p>“Hyung ...”, Jungkook trailed off, looking a little bit hurt by Taehyung’s harsh tone. The blond turned around again, so he didn’t have to look at his two mates. </p><p>Jimin had caught up to the two. His previously neutral expression had turned into one of sadness and a little bit of hidden anger. The fairy had realized his choice of words wasn’t good but it had been a stressful situation for all three of them. After all, they didn’t come here to fight their allies. </p><p>“I’m sorry I said you were overreacting even though I knew how you feel about them”, Jimin apologized sincerely. The fairy waited for a reaction from his blond mate but Taehyung remained quiet and he slowly clenched his hands into fists. </p><p>“Non of you know how I feel about them because you have never been betrayed by people you thought were close to you”, the blond mumbled more to himself than the two other males. The blond unclenches his fists and let his shoulders slump completely. </p><p>“Why did they have to be here?”, Taehyung whispered with a broken voice. Jungkook couldn’t watch this anymore and wrapped his arms around the blond male to hopefully comfort him in some way. </p><p>“They had nowhere else to go. You know that the whole Sky Clan was abducted and NCT took in the remaining two cat hybrids, who weren’t officially part of the clan”, Jimin said, while walking closer to his two mates. </p><p>“But why them?”, the blond muttered, trying to stay composed. “Why the Lee brothers?”, the repeated. His back was still facing Jimin but the fairy could imagine the sadness that was written all over the tiger hybrid’s face. It surely wasn’t much different from the time they met Taehyung but Jimin felt like he had to remind the other what the Lee brothers went though to end up at the NCT headquarter. </p><p>“The Lee brothers were lucky enough to not get caught by a bunch of hunters and a crazy warlock”, the fairy replied, walking in front of Taehyung, who had his head hang low. The fairy carefully cupped the blond’s face and raised his head a little. The amber eyes of the tiger hybrid glimmered with tears and a thousand memories. </p><p>“They left you hanging when you thought you could count on them but this time you got Jungkook, me and all of your hyungs. You aren’t alone Tae”, Jimin said, gently rubbing his thumps over Taehyung’s cheekbones. </p><p>“We won’t leave you if you need us like they did”, Jungkook mumbled from behind Taehyung while tightening his hold on the blond a little bit to show he was here too. </p><p>“Thank you”, Taehyung mumbled while a sad little smiled made its way onto his lips, followed by a single tear leaving his amber eyes. </p><p>———————————</p><p>Changbin got a bit frustrated when he couldn’t find any members of Day6 or MonstaX. He just wanted to talk to Jae or Changkyun, damn it. How could it be possible that you come across members of ACE, KARD and BTS but no one from the two groups you were searching for? Must be some type of curse. He probably brought it onto himself too. The vampire almost ran into someone because he wasn’t paying attention where he was going. </p><p>“I’m sorry”, he immediately said when he merely brushed past the other person. It was an almost automatic reaction but he had been a bit jumpy ever since he had woken up this morning. </p><p>“No worries, Changbin”, a rather familiar voice replied. Changbin stopped and turned around to look into the smiling face of one of the teachers from Miroh High, Jung Hoseok, or Hobi as most students called him. Changbin used to have the werewolf with the curly brown hair as a sports teacher but ever since Hobi took over the school’s art and performance department as the main dance instructor he only taught two classes in sport regularly and Changbin’s class hadn’t been one of them. </p><p>“I never realized your group was allied with NCT, Mr. Jung”, Changbin stated, trying to be polite. The man with the brown hair just scrunched up his nose a little. </p><p>“Please stop calling me Mr. Jung when no other teacher is around. I’m not that old, you know? Just J-Hope or Hobi-hyung is fine”, the brunette laughed lightly while Changbin mumbled “I am sorry” like a little, scolded child. He will never get used to the teachers, who hated being called but their last name outside of their classes. </p><p>“Don’t apologize. We aren’t even at school but you seemed like you had something on your mind. Can I help?”, he asked, putting his hands on his hips. He still showed a light smile, which could be considered his trademark, and Changbin silently appreciated the offer for help. </p><p>“I’m searching for Im Changkyun or Park Jaehyun or basically any member of Day6 or MonstaX”, the vampire said, being almost too hopeful. There was still a possibility Hobi hadn’t seen them. After all, he had arrived here just this morning as far as Changbin knew. </p><p>“Well I did see Changkyun not long ago on the second floor. He was talking to his leader along with Minhyuk”, the werewolf replied, tapping his chin in thought. Finally, at least something Changbin could build on. </p><p>“Thank you, Hobi-hyung”, the vampire quickly thanked the werewolf before dashing off in his supernatural speed. Faintly he could hear the brunette’s amused laugh but he had a goal in mind so he didn’t pay much attention to it. The vampire ran up the stairs to the second floor and prayed to all known gods Changkyun was still there.  </p><p>Luckily, Changkyun was still there. The older vampire dressed in all black leaned onto the corridor’s wall while seemingly thinking about something. It was only strange that he was alone, considering he was here with his whole group. </p><p>“Changkyun-hyung”, Changbin called out before he came to a halt next to other vampire. The older seemed a bit surprised, which was a bit odd but he had been distracted when the young king approached.</p><p>“Surprised to see me?”, Changbin questioned and tried to sound a bit playful. Changkyun showed a barely noticeable smile. It was somehow comforting for Changbin as strange as that may sound. </p><p>“I’m a little surprised, yes, but it’s not a bad thing. It has been a while since we got to properly talk, after all” the older vampire replied, ruffling the younger’s black hair casually. Changbin didn’t even protest against Changkyun ruffling his hair because it was out of order from training anyway and probably still a little sweaty, so jokes on the older vampire. </p><p>Still, the reason Changbin searched for Changkyun quickly reappeared in his mind, letting the young uncrowned king become a bit more serious. It apparently didn’t get unnoticed by Changkyun, who retracted his hand from Changbin’s black hair. </p><p>“Hyung I need to talk to you about something important but I think it’s better if we find Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon first”, Changbin stated, looking up to the older. Changkyun hummed and pushed himself away from the wall. </p><p>“Can I ask what you want to talk about or do I need to wait?”, the older questioned, when he stood beside Changbin. Changbin’s mood dropped a bit at that question. The guilty feeling he had yesterday evening came up again and made him bite his lip lightly. </p><p>“I ... I just want to know what’s going on with all vampires since ... since my parents are gone”, he said quietly and with a little hesitation in his voice like something would kill him if he spoke too loud or confident. He hoped dearly the topic wouldn’t make his red glow come back stronger again. </p><p>“That’s understandable”, Changkyun hummed with empathy in his voice. He paused for a short moment, looking at the ground before him like he was thinking something over. It worried Changbin for a short moment. </p><p>“Do you know where Jae and his group members are?”, the older vampire then asked, raising his gaze again to meet Changbin’s. The younger male shook his head, being disappointed that he couldn’t find them yet. </p><p>“I almost searched everywhere and couldn’t find them. I was only able to find you because of Hobi-hyung”, Changbin explained, avoiding Changkyun’s gaze for a short moment. The older just lightly chuckled.  </p><p>“Well, lucky for you I have got an idea where Jae and Younghyun could be”, Changkyun said, with a light grin on his lips. He turned, heading to the staircase, letting Changbin follow him. “Those two spend a lot of time working in an little office on the forth floor, according to Dowoon”, he added.</p><p>Changbin followed the older vampire like a lost puppy. He had no clue where to go exactly and what Jae and Younghyun were even working on. He assumed it was something for the vampires but they had already found a hiding spot for them, so what could it be?</p><p>“What are they working on?”, Changbin asked Changkyun out of pure curiosity. The younger vampire caught up to the older, walking beside him. </p><p>“You will see for yourself what they have been doing”, Changkyun answered. Changbin stayed silent after this, hoping he hadn’t caused his hyungs any trouble. </p><p>When they reached the forth floor Changbin’s mind had come up with thousands of ways how he could apologize to his hyungs for being an useless king and overall just a burden to them. He was so occupied with thinking about this, Changkyun had to grab the back of his collar to keep him from walking past the office Jae and Younghyun should be in.</p><p>“We are here”, Changkyun stated with a little bit of amusement in his voice. He gestured to the room before letting go of Changbin’s collar. </p><p>“Right”, Changbin mumbled to himself, mustering the plain white door, which apparently lead to the office Jae and Younghyun worked in. The young vampire was a little bit hesitant, which didn’t get unnoticed by Changkyun.</p><p>“Nobody will bite your head off if you knock”, the older vampire stated. His voice was a bit softer than before and held a certain amount of concern in it. Changbin picked up on that and told himself he shouldn’t behave so cowardly. </p><p>“I know”, Changbin breathed out, reassuring himself once more that it would be fine and raised his hand to knock. With one more little hesitation did the young vampire knock on the door. There was a short silence before a familiar voice replied to the knock with “Come in”. </p><p>Changbin opened the door to see Jae, Younghyun, Sungjin and Dowoon stand around a table in the middle of the room. All four looked rather surprised when they saw Changbin and Changkyun in the doorway. </p><p>“Did something happen?”, Sungjin immediately asked, sounding worried. It was a normal reaction for him since he tended to be very concerned about the well-being of others, especially when it came to the members of his group and Changbin. </p><p>“No, hyung. I just want to talk with you guys and Changkyun-hyung about something if you have some time to spare”, Changbin answered and tried to lightly smile to not concern his hyungs any further. It was the last thing he wanted right now. They didn’t deserve the extra worry. </p><p>The four Day6 members looked at each other for a brief second before focusing back onto Changbin. “Of course we got time for you, Changbin. Bold of you to assume we haven’t”, Jae said jokingly, obviously trying to lift the mood, which worked since Changbin couldn’t help but huff at this statement. He entered the room along with Changkyun, who closed the door behind them. </p><p>“So what do you want to walk about?”, Younghyun questioned, leaning onto the table while looking at Changbin. The young vampire took in a breath and sorted his thoughts for a short moment before he began to speak. </p><p>“I realized something, which I should have noticed earlier and for that I apologize”, the young vampire started, looking at his five hyungs, who patiently waited for him to go on. “I ... I’m a terrible crown prince. I was and still kinda am incapable of fulfilling my duties and you probably took on this task for the sake of all vampires out there, who needed a good leader”, Changbin continued, clenching his fists, so he would stay composed. He thought he had no right to get emotional now. </p><p>“I am sorry for not realizing how much you actually do because of my incapability and I am sorry for behaving like a spoiled child. I ... I will do better in the future, so I can become a reliable ... a reliable king”, the young vampire ended, even though his last sentence sounded more insecure than the rest. </p><p>“You little idiot”, Jae huffed, walking up to Changbin, so he could wrap an arm around the short male’s shoulders. “You are not an incapable king and even though you should be a spoiled brat with your kind of status you are more humble than anything”, the blond vampire said, playfully pinching Changbin’s nose. The black-haired vampire let out a little surprised squeak and rubbed the spot Jae pinched while the blond laughed. </p><p>“You took a good guess there”, Changkyun chuckled, confusing Changbin a bit. “Your little speech was correct. For the most part”, the older vampire continued. “Day6 did take care of all vampires in your place but I merely assisted them a few times since my group had a different task to master. Still, Jae is right you are no incapable king. You are just young and inexperienced, which is why you got us. Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon were trained for most of their youth to assist you when you become king. I was assigned the task of helping you in tough times. Even after quitting my position at the royal court your parents asked me personally to help you whenever you need me”, Changkyun explained, looking into Changbin’s eyes. The young vampire could feel his eyes getting watery but he tried to fight it. </p><p>“To sum this up. We have your back, Binnie. No questions asked”, Changkyun ended while using Changbin’s nickname. The present members of Day6 obviously agreed to that statement.The vampire prince couldn’t help the tears falling from his eyes. He really had amazing hyungs. </p><p>“You really are just incredible”, Changbin lightly sniffled and dried the tears, which had escaped his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt. </p><p>“Bold of you to assume we aren’t”, Jae teased him even though he was lightly rubbing the shorter’s arm to comfort him. It was typical Jae behavior. He would tease you but still be right there if you need him. </p><p>“Yeah really bold of me”, Changbin chuckled at bit just being glad he had such amazing hyungs. He really didn’t know how he deserved them. </p><p>“We will managed this together, Changbin”, Sungjin said. “You will see”, he added with one of his bright smiles. As a werewolf Sungjin had no obligation to help Changbin in any way, which was why the young male appreciated it even more. </p><p>“By the way. Maybe talk to Wonpil too, when he gets back. He kinda helped a lot on the magic and communication part since he is the only magical creature in Day6”, Dowoon chimed in, which earned him an annoyed look from both Jae and Younghyun. </p><p>“You really are an lovesick idiot”, Younghyun huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. he lightly shook his head at the younger vampire. “I’m not an idiot”, Day6’s maknae replied, not denying that he was lovesick.</p><p>They continued to bicker like they often would before everything went to hell. It made Changbin lightly chuckle at their little fight but it also reminded him that Seungmin, Wonpil and Byungho were still unreachable for everyone in Stray Kids and NCT. </p><p>“Did you have any contact to Wonpil-hyung or Seungmin recently?”, Changbin asked Jae, looking up to the blond vampire. Dowoon, who apparently heard him even though his bickering with Younghyun was far from quiet, answered before Jae could even open his mouth. </p><p>“We couldn’t reach Wonpil or Seungmin either but I will go to their mansion as soon as we are finished here”, the black-haired vampire said. It took Changbin a bit off guard. Did Dowoon know how to get into the house of the Kim family. </p><p>“You know a way into their house? The NCT members weren’t able to find the building even though Jisung told them where it is”, Changbin questioned, looking at Dowoon. The older vampire with the black hair just grinned a bit. </p><p>“Well, Seungmin’s and Wonpil’s father is kinda strong, so he probably hide the whole mansion but I used to sneak in there by a secret gateway Seungmin created for everyone who is a friend of Wonpil, so it hopefully won’t be a problem for me to get in there”, Dowoon explained, obviously being a bit proud because of that. Still, Changbin asked himself why Day6 didn’t tell NCT this piece of information. It could have been useful. </p><p>“Why didn’t you tell Taeyong-hyung or any member of NCT about this?”, Changkyun asked in a serious tone. He obviously hadn’t known that Day6 knew a possible way of reaching and entering the house of the Kims and just chose to don’t tell anyone. </p><p>“It’s simple because this gateway was designed to only let friends of Wonpil enter the mansion to avoid unwanted guests. If we had told Taeyong about this he probably would have insisted on sending his people there in case something went wrong. In general this wouldn’t be such a bad idea but in this case it could cause more damage than do good because those barriers can end up to be very dangerous”, Dowoon elaborated his point. </p><p>“Still, you shouldn’t have kept this to yourselves”, Changkyun sighed, crossing his arms over his chest while he glanced at each member of Day6. He didn’t seem angry with them or anything similar, which was a relief to Changbin. </p><p>“We know but it was safer for everyone to keep it secret”, Younghyun chimed in. “Normally I would have to report that to Hyungwoo or Taeyong but I am making an exception for you”, Changkyun stated. He still didn’t seem happy about the situation but Changbin was glad he let it slip. </p><p>The young vampire turned to Dowoon. “You aren’t going alone though, right?”, he questioned, openly showing his concern for the other vampire. Dowoon hesitated before answering. </p><p>“I ... I have to go alone since there is a kind of important meeting soon. Almost everyone needs to be there including you, so I’m sneaking out while Younghyun covers for me”, Day6’s maknae explained. That wasn’t an good idea at all. </p><p>“That’s just idiotic”, Changkyun voiced what Changbin - for the most part - thought. </p><p>“We would choose another way if it was possible”, Sungjin spoked up. Changbin could tell just by looking at the werewolf that he really wasn’t fond of the idea but obviously had no other option. </p><p>“You all act like I’m stupid enough to run directly into a hunter. Won’t happen. Trust me. I will run as fast as I can to the Kim mansion without a soul noticing me”, Dowoon tried to reassure his hyungs as well as Changbin. </p><p>The short vampire still didn’t like the idea but the other option would be possibly endangering members of NCT, so he sighed in defeat. “Please just be careful, hyung”, he mumbled. </p><p>“I will make sure I am”, Dowoon smiled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0060"><h2>60. Intruder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Kim family has an uninvited visitor.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zendala walked down the empty street. She was hidden under her cloak, letting it seem like she was hovering over the ground. It gave her every movement a certain elegance. The hood of her midnight blue cloak was pulled down, so her face wasn’t really visible, just her dark blue hair. On Zendala’s left walked another person hidden under a midnight blue cloak. It was Shiela. </p><p>Zendala had asked her sister Shiela to come along even though most hunters didn’t know about her yet. Still, if they would encounter what they planed to, additional magical help wouldn’t hurt. </p><p>On Zendala’s right side was Reinhard. The hunter with the red crystal looked like a man with a lot of confidence in his own strength, which wasn’t far away from the truth. He did have a lot of trust in his abilities, which was why Zendala chose him to be her right hand man even though the position of the two began to slowly shift in the last few days. </p><p>“When will we arrive?”, Reinhard questioned, poorly hiding his anticipation for the upcoming hunt. He had always been eager to fight and hunt supernatural creatures. After all, he was the prime example of a hunter of the supernatural and the younger hunter generation looked up to him and his devotion to their shared goal. The extinction of everything supernatural. </p><p>“The mansion of the Kim family should be here somewhere”, Zendala answered Reinhard’s question and took her hood off, so she could look around better. She didn’t mind showing herself like this since the hunters and huntresses behind her as well as Reinhard, her sister and herself were hidden under a powerful invisibility spell. It was casted by herself, which was why she knew it was safe but if she was honest with herself there was no way the guardian groups of the supernatural world didn’t know what she looked liked. After all, she had captured two members of NCT right in front of Lee Taeyong, NCT’s leader.  </p><p>Zendala got her mind back to the task at hand and looked around. She knew that the Kim mansion should be here somewhere but beside two mansions there wasn’t anything that looked like the building they were searching. It was no surprise though since they were searching for the home of two demons and a very rare mixed blood. </p><p>“Well, the mansion of such mighty creatures was bound to be well hidden”, Zendala commented while scanning the area with her sky blue eyes. It would take a while to find this mansion even with magic. Maybe they were even unlucky enough to have passed the hidden mansion without noticing. </p><p>“Are you still able to find it?”, Reinhard questioned, looking at woman with the blue hair. Zendala huffed in mild annoyance and looked to her right side where the hunter stood. It bothered the female that Reinhard was so much taller than her but it surely would never intimidate her. </p><p>“Of course I-“, Zendala wanted to say but she stopped mid sentence. She felt a supernatural presence just beside Reinhard, that came closer with an enormous speed. Zendala didn’t hesitate to yank Reinhard back and aim at the something on his side. With a thud a young man with black hair fell to the ground because he ran into the quickly created barrier of Zendala. </p><p>The speed he had before he ran into Zendala’s barrier was enough to tell the hunters and huntresses as well as the two warlocks that he was a vampire. An unusual fast one too. Nobody except Zendala had noticed him when he had ran in his supernatural speed. </p><p>With the quick and graceful movements of her hands did Zendala cage the vampire in a box of barriers without uttering one word. The vampire had a look of fear on his face when the barriers surrounded him. He couldn’t see who casted the spell, so he made the rather pathetic attempt of punching one of the barriers. It was no use. Zendala’s magic was too strong. </p><p>“How did you see him instantly?”, Reinhard asked Zendala in astonishment. The warlock with blue hair let out an amused chuckle. She could never describe the joy it brought her when she baffled Reinhard with one of her skills. </p><p>“I worked regularly with vampires in the past. I’m used to their speed”, she answered and put the invisibility spell around her down, so she became visible to the young, male vampire while the rest of the hunters and huntresses as well as her sister stayed hidden. </p><p>The vampire’s eyes widened a bit when he saw the female warlock. He knew her. “The look on your face tells me you know who I am”, Zendala mused while she stood on front of the improvised cage she created for the vampire. </p><p>“Everyone knows who you are”, the black-haired male scoffed, obviously pretending to be brave. His black eyes shimmered with fear, betraying his faked courage. It amused Zendala even though she knew how feared she should be by other supernatural creatures. Still, she needed to know why this vampire was speeding through Yellow Wood in broad daylight. Where was he heading?</p><p>“It really interests me where you were heading in your supernatural speed. Wouldn’t it have been safer to walk like a normal human? I wouldn’t have noticed you if you had done that”, Zendala casually told the vampire. She observed his reaction carefully but didn’t get anything special even though it was obvious to the female warlock, that the young male was in a hurry for some reason. </p><p>“What do you want?”, the vampire spat, obviously not falling for Zendala’s little tricks but the female warlock still had an ace up her sleeve. It would reveal if this vampire could be of use for her now or would end up as another one of her guinea pigs. </p><p>“I want to know if you were on the way to the Kim mansion? After all, you seemingly wanted to head there before I stopped you”, she mused in a dangerous tone. The vampire’s eyes became wide and he froze on the spot like he had just received a message, that told him his soulmate had died. It was enough to tell Zendala, that he knew at least one member of the Kim family very well. </p><p>“The eyes of humans as well as average creatures see nothing on that grass field but you wanted to directly run to it like you knew there was something. Something like a mansion”, Zendala continued. Slowly she started to smile wickedly without fully realizing it. She loved this types of games.  </p><p>“So as far as I understand this situation you must know how to get into the invisible mansion, right? Maybe even without being detected? Because I could just use a little magical fire to burn down the barriers”, Zendala went on while she silently enjoyed the vampire’s reaction. The young man seemed to slowly panic on the inside but didn’t want to show it to the female warlock, even though his attempts at hiding it were pathetic. </p><p>“Maybe it would even accidentally burn down the mansion itself”, Zendala ended and couldn’t help but let her smirk widen a bit while she watched how the vampire pictured the scene before his inner eyes. He was visibly afraid even though he obviously tried to push it down. </p><p>Meanwhile Zendala wore a wicked smirk on her face. She couldn’t help but feel good when one of her suspicions was right. This young man could make her work a lot easier if she played her cards right. She just needed him to reveal how to get into the mansion, hopefully undetected, and this hunt would be over in the span of some minutes. </p><p>“What, What do you want from the Kim family?”, the vampire stuttered after he pulled himself out of his shocked state. He seemingly considered some things in his mind. One of them was probably helping Zendala. Another smirk tugged at Zendala’s lips but she tired to not show it.    </p><p>“Depends on if you help me or not”, the female warlock mused, looking at the black-haired male. The fear the vampire seemingly tried to hide from the female warlock was very prominent in his eyes but Zendala noted that the vampire didn’t fear for his life but somebody else’s. He really must be very close to some members of the Kim family. </p><p>This knowledge was like a gifted candy for Zendala - Sweet and without charges. If Ten and Jaehyun were so easy to read she would have it a lot easier to get information out of them. Still, there was no denying that those two probably only stayed strong because they knew their friends and families were somewhere safe. This vampire in front of Zendala on the other hand, feared for the well being of someone dear to him without knowing if they will stay safe should he be uncooperative. </p><p>The vampire looked at Zendala with mixed emotions swirling around in his black eyes but it slowly cleared like he had realized something. It made the female warlock get a bad feeling since it seemed like the young male was building up some walls. Did she underestimate him?</p><p>“Tell me how to enter the Kim mansion and I will see what I can do to protect the person you care so much about”, the female warlock mused, trying to maintain the upper hand in their conversation. The young vampire took a step back, so he stood in the middle of the box made of magical barriers. He looked directly into Zendala’s eyes before speaking. </p><p>“I won’t tell you anything anymore”, he stated firmly. “I won’t betray the supernatural world like you did”, the vampire added through gritted teeth. Zendala stood still for a while and said nothing while she tried to analyze what the young male wanted to gain by doing this. Was he trying to win time? Did he try to provoke her? Was his goal to collect information about her motive? No matter what it was she decide she had been trying to play nice for too long. </p><p>“Very well. I will do it my way then”, Zendala said, letting her smile instantly drop from her face. She turned around, mouthing to Shiela, that she needed a bit of help for an illusion. The vampire couldn’t see this because the female warlock with the blue hair had her back turned towards him and he hadn’t notice the people hidden behind an invisibility spell yet. </p><p>Zendala raised her hands and silently casted a spell. She could feel her sisters magic tying itself together with her own. The field, where the Kim mansion should be, suddenly began to burn. The flames were blue and danced along the grass until they reached something like a barrier. Like hungry dogs they slowly took apart this barrier to reveal a beautiful mansion. The Kim mansion. </p><p>A smirk made its way back onto the lips of the female warlock with the blue hair when she heard the vampire behind her gasp for air. He believed what he was seeing even though it was an illusion. </p><p>The blue flames ripped apart the barrier and crawled towards the mansion in a fast pace letting the metallic gates of the yard melt in an instant. The hungry, burning dogs were replaced by blue, sneaky snakes, who climbed up the walls leaving a trail of ashes behind them. </p><p>Zendala could feel how the vampire behind her looked at the scene in horror. It made her smirk get a little wider. “You know what they say”, she began, gaining the vampire’s attention, “Not even demons get reprieved by the deathly coldness of the blue flames”. </p><p>She could feel how the vampire’s shocked gaze burned into her back but she had to focus on the next step. With an exaggerated gesture she let the blue flames cover the whole house while laughing in a wicked way. </p><p>“Say goodbye to your demonic friends. They will never survive this”, she laughed but suddenly a cough erupted from her throat. A well acted cough. The barriers around the vampire fell while Zendala continued to pretend to cough from overusing her magical powers. </p><p>The vampire instantly rushed off but not before Zendala marked him, so she could find him wherever he went. The male was running towards the mansion while subconsciously taking a familiar path. Zendala could only smile to herself. No matter what or who you were if someone important to you was in danger you would run to their rescue without thinking about your actions. </p><p>Zendala gestured for the hunters and huntresses to follow the vampire, while she teleported herself after him by using the mark she put on him. She could feel a bit of a restrictions but she broke through that with ease. </p><p>The blue-haired woman was right behind the vampire when he run through the illusion while shouting names like “Wonpil, Seungmin, Byungho”. He realized his mistake as soon as the flames disappeared but it was too late to turn back. Zendala quickly created a magical blue string and wrapped around the vampire’s throat to stop him from going anywhere. </p><p>“Thank you for showing me the entrance”, Zendala mused into his ears. “You really helped me a lot even though you aren’t a traitor like me”, she added with a wicked smile on her face. She truly loved to play mind games.  </p><p>————————————</p><p>Seungmin felt powerless when the only thing he could do was run his hand through Byungho’s hair. The older male had his head placed on his right thigh while silently laying there with his eyes closed. It was unclear if he was asleep or not but none dared to clarify it since they didn’t want to disturb him or accidentally wake him up. </p><p>After the little talk they had with Lucifer and basically the whole Kim family, Samuel, Wonpil and Seungmin had decided that it was best for Byungho to rest. Seungmin had guessed that the brunette didn’t wan to be alone in his own room, so they settled for Wonpil’s since it was the one all Kim brothers considered to be the most secure due the many spells they put over it. Of course those spells were for deceiving their parents but it also made them feel surprisingly safe and in some way protected. </p><p>Wonpil sat in his armchair reading a book since his bed was occupied by Byungho, who had his gigantic, black wings out, which clearly showed how miserable he must be feeling since he usually took great care to hide them; Seungmin, who had Byungho’s head on his thigh and Samuel, who made it his mission to serve Byungho as a living teddy bear. </p><p>Samuel was the one, who was asleep for sure. His breathing was even and he was basically cuddled up to Byungho, even though the brunette had only lazily put one arm over the smaller male. The young siren looked like a little doll, while laying next to Byungho, which for a siren wasn’t very unusual. </p><p>Seungmin continued to run his fingers through Byungho’s brown hair and looked to the room door again. He was waiting for Woosu, who had been dragged away by his mother after the little family meeting had ended. The reason for this was still unknown to Seungmin but he guessed that Athea wanted to take advantage of the current situation to get Lucifer to marry her and just had to remind Woosu again, that he should keep his distance from his half brothers. </p><p>A small sigh escaped the redhead’s lips, which didn’t get unnoticed by Wonpil. “What are you sighing about?”, the older redhead questioned with his demon voice, so Byungho and Samuel wouldn’t be disturbed but he did look up from his book. </p><p>“This situation is just ... I can’t even describe it”, Seungmin answered, also using his demon voice.   Wonpil should be able to hear that his younger brother was sad and tired but he should also know why. After all, Eve had been like a mother to both him and Seungmin. </p><p>“Nobody can comprehend what happened. Let’s be honest”, Wonpil sighed even with his demon voice. He closed his book and seemingly wanted to stand up from his spot on the armchair and give Seungmin a much needed hug but he halted. It alarmed the younger demon. </p><p>Suddenly Seungmin felt something break. It was nothing within his body or mind but something else - his magic. Before the young redhead could really comprehend which part of his magic just broke the window of Wonpil’s room flew open and let two persons enter. A rather small woman with dark blue hair, who held a taller male with black hair with a string made of blue magic around his neck.  </p><p>“Dowoon”, Wonpil let out in horror, when he saw the black-haired vampire in the grip of the unknown female. Dowoon seemingly wanted to say something but the woman tugged at the blue string around his neck, which made the vampire grimace in pain. </p><p>“Use one of your little demonic tricks and your friend here dies”, the woman threatened, which let both demon brother freeze on the spot. The woman knew they were demons? But how? Only very few people were aware of the Kim brothers’ true specie and there was almost no way of just figuring it out without knowing the Kim family. </p><p>The woman with the blue hair smiled in victory when neither of the two demons moved an inch. Her gaze trailed over Wonpil to Seungmin and then to Byungho, who still had an arm draped around Samuel, or at least Seungmin thought that because he couldn’t really tell since the young siren was entirely hidden under one of Byungho’s gigantic black wings. Byungho probably hadn’t been asleep after all and therefore had noticed the intruder as well as Wonpil and Seungmin. He probably decided to cover Samuel with his wing in order to protect him. </p><p>“I never thought I would ever be able to face beings, who are literally not from this world”, the woman commented while she had a wicked grin on her face. So she really did know of the Kim brothers’ true nature but had she also realized who their father was? </p><p>Seungmin only glared at her, while trying to remember why he thought to have already seen her somewhere. His thought process was interrupted when Byungho shifted a bit, so he could prop his upper body up while still covering Samuel, who was probably awake too but didn’t dare to make a  sound.</p><p>“What do you want?”, Wonpil asked, trying to keep his voice calm but Seungmin noticed the swirl of emotions behind his brother’s facade. He was mainly scared but also angry. The woman turned her head towards the older redhead, still smiling like a wicked witch. </p><p>“What could someone, who forcefully enters the home of some demons with a bait, possibly want?”, the woman asked rhetorically, lightly tugging at the string around Dowoon’s neck once more. </p><p>Suddenly it hit Seungmin why this woman was so familiar to him when he noticed her midnight blue cloak. This was probably Zendala, the female warlock, who brought so much pain to the supernatural world by helping the hunters. The one Emilia mentioned when Seungmin and Wonpil interrogated her. The young demon couldn’t help but lightly bite his lips. This was a disaster. How did Zendala figure out what they were? How did she get past the mansion’s barriers? How was she so powerful? </p><p>“Would you three just do me a favor and quietly follow me outside? I won’t hurt your vampire friend if you do what I tell you to do”, Zendala mused after a short silence. Seungmin looked over to Wonpil, who clenched and unclenched his fist, while looking not at Zendala but Dowoon. The vampire looked like he was pleading Wonpil to not agree to this but Seungmin already knew they had no choice. </p><p>There was still one problem. Zendala seemingly hadn’t noticed Samuel yet but if Byungho would stand up he wouldn’t be able to cover the young siren anymore. Seungmin tried to think of what to do but his head felt like it was empty, void of ideas, void of solutions for this situation. He couldn’t use any kind of demonic trick because Zendala could notice it and kill Dowoon within seconds and still managed to drag the Kim brothers with her by force. There was even the possibility that she could somehow notice it when Wonpil or Seungmin used their demon voices, which was why neither of them dared to even try to call Woosu or their parents for help. </p><p>“I don’t have all day. Decide quickly”, Zendala singsonged like she enjoyed watching them feel hopeless. Dowoon looked like he wanted to violently shake his head and yell at them to not do it but he could only hopelessly look at the three Kim brothers. </p><p>“I will go”, Wonpil spoke up, looking directly at Zendala. Seungmin’s head snapped towards Wonpil and he looked at the older with fear and shock being evident in his dark eyes even though he had already known what his older brother would do. He needed more time to think. </p><p>“No, Won-“, Dowoon wanted to say but another tug of the string around his neck shut him up in an instant. “Good”, the blue-haired warlock stated with a grin on her lips. She turned her head towards Seungmin. “What about you two?”, she asked with fake concern in her voice. It was almost mocking. </p><p>Seungmin looked towards Byungho like he was asking him what to do now. Seemingly Zendala was satisfied with having only Wonpil, Byungho and Seungmin, so how would she react if she saw Samuel, who was still hidden under Byungho’s wing? Why couldn’t he think of a solution? Why has he been so useless the last few days? Why couldn’t he do anything? </p><p>There was no way out of this. There was no way he could protect his brothers. There was no way he could save Dowoon from Zendala’s grip. There was no way of escaping the female warlock. He was powerless. He was useless. </p><p>There was a haze in Seungmin’s head and he just couldn’t get rid of it. Slowly he felt how his skin began to heat up and the weight of his two horns on his head. His devil tail was probably visible too but that didn’t matter to Seungmin right now. There was just a hopelessness digging a hole into his chest while his head was becoming a maze without an exit. There was a loud bumping in his ears and his heart hammered against his rib cage like it wanted to free itself. </p><p>Suddenly Seungmin felt a warm hand on his arm. His gaze automatically turned towards his arm to see, whose hand laid on his arm. It was Byungho’s rather large palm. The brunette’s hand faintly glowed in a shade of gold but it was almost unnoticeable. The redhead felt how his heart calmed down and the bumping in his ears slowly disappeared. </p><p>“You really cost me a lot of time. The two of you get up now or I won’t hesitate to cut your friend’s head off”, Zendala sneered, slowly loosing her patience. She had obviously enough of waiting for the Kim brothers to move on their own. </p><p>“Thank you”, Seungmin mumbled to Byungho and stood up, in hopes of Byungho having found a way to let Samuel get out of this situation unharmed. The three older Kim brothers were a lost case now. </p><p>“So your true form shows itself when you are stressed. A nice detail I have to say”, Zendala commented when she muster Seungmin, especially looking at the black horns on top of his head. Despite his previous state Seungmin still managed to glare at the woman with as much hatred as he could muster right now. </p><p>A sudden yell let everyone in the room jump a bit. Seungmin immediately recognized the yell to be from Athea and not a second after this did the door of Wonpil’s room bust open to reveal a pissed off Woosu and a fuming Athea. </p><p>“Kim Minseok I will not-“, Athea halted when she saw the situation in the room. Woosu’s mood immediately switched from angry to highly alerted. Athea just stared past everyone only to focus on Zendala like she had seen a ghost.</p><p>“Han R-“, Athea wanted to say a name but before she could Zendala pushed Dowoon away and shot something at Athea, which pierced through her neck. With horror did the Kim brothers watch how blood seeped out of Athea’s mouth while her body fell limply to the ground. No matter how much he wanted it, Seungmin couldn’t turn his gaze away from Athea. The floor underneath her body slowly became a shade of dark red. Her white hair was tainted by the dark color but she didn’t move an inch. She was ... dead. </p><p>Slowly did Seungmin raise his eyes to look at Woosu, who stared at the body of his mother with shock written all over his face. He probably couldn’t comprehend what just happened. Neither of them could until Wonpil screamed Dowoon’s name. </p><p>Seungmin turned around in an instant to see his older brother kneeling beside the vampire, who was laying on the floor without moving. Zendala had long fleet the scene through the window since her plan had failed. </p><p>Wonpil shook Dowoon’s unmoving form like he wanted to wake him up. Seungmin stumbled towards them but his legs just gave out and he fell onto his knees. He closed his eyes and violently shook his head to get himself to focus. When he opened his eyes again Byungho sat beside Wonpil on the floor with his wings neatly folded on his back. He checked for Dowoon’s pulse in a very calm, professional manner. </p><p>Right, the string around Dowoon’s neck had been a magic one, meaning not something one hundred percent physical, which also meant Dowoon could still be alive!</p><p>“Hyung I need your help”, Byungho spoke in a unusual calm voice, gaining Wonpil’s attention. The older demon looked at Byungho like a lost kid. </p><p>“Focus your magic on healing Dowoon. It doesn’t matter if you know any medical spells or not, just focus on it”, the brunette explained. Wonpil nodded, probably not trusting his voice and let his hands hover over Dowoon’s body. Byungho laid his hands on top of Wonpil’s, letting a mix of golden and black mist seep from their palms. </p><p>Seungmin almost loudly gasped for air when he realized what Byungho was doing. It was something he briefly read over in one of the books in their father’s library. It was a ritual performed by an entity of light and an entity of darkness to heal someone, who was at the verge of death. The two polar opposites would combine for a short amount of time and decide whenever the person, who was dying, was allowed to continue living by contrasting their good deeds to their personal sins. If there were more good deeds than personal sins then the person would live if it was the other way around death would be certain. </p><p>The golden and black mist circulated around Dowoon for a short minute until they disappeared. Dowoon gasped for air and immediately sat up, coughing like he had just inhaled smoke or something. </p><p>“By everything good”, Wonpil mumbled to himself and pulled Dowoon into a tight hug. The vampire seemed surprised by that but quickly eased up and wrapped his arms around Wonpil. </p><p>“Good job, you two”, Seungmin heard someone compliment Byungho and Wonpil from behind him. When he turned around he saw his father standing behind him. He hadn’t noticed that he entered, which made the redhead subconsciously look past him to Woosu. The young warlock with the white hair was currently being hugged by Rana. Athea’s body was gone and so was the blood. Lucifer seemingly already took care of that. </p><p>Seungmin wasn’t the only one, who had not realized how Lucifer and Rana had entered the room because only now did Samuel move. He stumbled over to his mother and Woosu and was immediately pulled into the hug by Rana. </p><p>Lucifer tousled through Seungmin’s hair when he walked past him, which made the young demon look after his father, who walked towards the window. “This time I won’t make the mistake to give you a chance of bypassing my barriers. I don’t want any intruders here ever again. If someone wants to visit just come through the front door. If Lilith says something against visitors, ignore her”, Lucifer said in a serious tone while looking out of the window. </p><p>Seungmin could see in his father’s posture that he was beyond angry. If Zendala had stayed one minute longer in this house Lucifer would have probably ripped her into a million pieces without hesitation.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0061"><h2>61. The flame of revenge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The first meeting of all the groups takes place at the NCT headquarter and Seungmin tried to reach his friends.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin was letting his right leg bounce up and down anxiously while he listened to Taeyong, who stood in front of the hall on a kind of stage along with the leaders of the groups, who would participate in the rescue mission. It was weird for Changbin to see Chan up there standing beside Sungjin but it would be sight he would eventually get used to seeing. </p><p>This meeting - as it had been called not long ago - was held in the largest trainings hall of the NCT headquarter since a lot of people attended it. Those people weren’t only members of the groups, who would participate in the rescue mission but also some of the rescued werwolves and wolf hybrids from the fight at the moon pack. Chan’s mother and Yedam sat among those, who were rescued while Changbin was seated in one of the chair rows on the right side of the hall along with Felix, Minho and Jisung. </p><p>Jisung had silently decided to participate in the rescue mission since he never said yes or no but still followed Changbin and the Lee brothers to their current seats. Jeongin and Hyunjin, on the other hand, sat somewhere in the back of the hall along with Ms. Hwang. It was still a bit unclear if they would go on the rescue mission with them. Maybe Ms. Hwang would join it since Changbin heard some people whisper about her being a mixed blood between a siren and kitsune, which was a powerful combination in the points of illusion, deception and manipulation as well as luring people into traps. All of these points would probably be very useful in a sneak attack as well as a silent rescue mission. </p><p>Just thinking about this made Changbin violently shake his head. After all, Ms. Hwang was here to be protected from a foreseen death. Letting her take part in a mission like that would endanger her life for sure. </p><p>Suddenly Changbin was ripped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his right thigh. He automatically snapped his head towards the hand’s owner only to look into the black orbs of Jae. The older vampire was seated on Changbin’s right side and he seemed a little bit annoyed.</p><p>“Do me a favor and stop bouncing your leg up and down”, Jae whispered while putting more weigh onto Changbin’s thigh to make his point clear. “Sorry”, Changbin mumbled as an apology. Jae let out a huff and retracted his hand from Changbin’s now unmoving thigh to pay attention to Taeyong again. Younghyun, who sat on Jae’s right side silently chuckled to himself, making Changbin feel not too bad about having annoyed Jae. </p><p>The young vampire followed his hyung’s example and turned his attention back to NCT’s leader, who had just finished explaining the events of the last weeks and thanked the group members of GOT7 for their surprisingly early arrival. On Taeyong’s side stood Kun and Yuta. Kun was after all NCT’s second in command and Yuta was NCT’s magical genius. He probably stood up there because he managed to pinpoint some important location or figure something about the hunters out.</p><p>Beside those three were eleven other creatures on the makeshift stage including Chan and Sungjin. All of them were leaders of groups but Changbin also saw the moon pack leader standing up there. Taeyong had introduced all of them at the beginning and Changbin had taken this as an opportunity to get to know more groups. Of course he knew the really famous ones like MonstaX, BTS, Got7 but also the ones with important roles within the supernatural community like K.A.R.D and A.C.E as well as some smaller groups like Day6, which have good connections. Entirely new to even the vampire were the groups IZ and ONEUS.</p><p>The leader of ONEUS was a rather tall male with black hair and eyes named Kim Youngjo but he was better known as Ravn. Changbin was surprised to not know him since he was introduced as a mixed blood between a raven hybrid and a warlock, meaning he possessed the ability to turn into a raven and could use magic just like Jisung. Maybe Changbin had never heard of him due his group being not very well known and Ravn’s rather “normal” appearance. He could pass as human if he wanted since his natural black hair and onyx eyes didn’t give away that he was part warlock. The other part of his species was a hybrid like Chan, who didn’t have visible animal traits but could shift fully into an animal. </p><p>The leader of IZ was Lee Hyunjun one of Changbin’s classmates at Miroh High. Changbin knew the elf was the leader of a group but he never knew they had ties to NCT and he also never remembered the group’s name. Now, he would never dare to forget their group name ever again. </p><p>“Yuta will now reveal the whereabouts of our two missing group members. We believe that the facility where they are kept is one of the headquarters of the hunters and an important building for Zendala”, Taeyong announced, looking at the warlock beside him. Yuta gave his leader a short nod before he stretched out his arms and let a blue, magical map appear in the air for everyone to see. The map showed a forest with a rather small building in the middel. It was mostly hidden by the surrounding trees. </p><p>Changbin stared at the map and had a hard time to not let his mouth drop open. NCT did already know about a possible headquarter of the hunters and had also mapped it out. Just how fast did they work for that? </p><p>“This is the building where they are kept according to our search. It looks like nothing special from the outside but there is much more than you can see on the first look”, the red-haired guardian continued while Yuta flicked his wrist and let the map expand, showing everyone that the little building was the entrance to an complex underground system. The map of the underground system was very vary, so it must still be in progress but Changbin could already tell that invading it silently wouldn’t be easy. </p><p>“We know with certainty that Jaehyun and Ten, the two missing members of our group, are there but we believe that more prisoners are kept there since the underground system is too complex for keeping only two prisoners but we need a bit more time to figure this out”, Taeyong continued while his dark blue eyes scanned over the crowd for a short moment. Everyone was surprisingly clam, in Changbin’s opinion. </p><p>“There is already a plan for a rescue mission but there are still adjustments, which need to be made before it can be carried out. Still, we know that we need a lot of assistance from the groups, whose leaders are standing up here with me but considering the current situation of our world nobody is obligated to take part in this mission if they consider it to be too dangerous-”, the red-haired guardian went on but he was interrupted by the loud howling from the many members of the moon pack. </p><p>The moon pack leader Keon Yun, a tall man with broad shoulders and messy dark brown hair, raised his hand and calmed everyone of his pack down with that simple gesture. </p><p>“I guess nobody of my wolves wants to miss out on that”, he laughed with a husky voice. “Make your plan adjustments while everyone, who participates, already trains for a little revenge. Am I right?”, he roared the last question in an almost excited voice and got nothing but approving howls and cheers fro not only the moon pack wolves. </p><p>Changbin couldn’t decide if he should be scared of Keon Yun or admire him for motivating his gigantic pack to participate in the rescue mission. The vampire glanced to his side to check the reaction of Felix, who sat on his left side, and Jae, who sat to his right. Both Jae and Felix remained rather calm but Changbin could tell Felix didn’t like the noise because his cat ears had pressed themselves against his head a few seconds prior. </p><p>When the howling and cheering died down Taeyong raised his voice again. “For now the meeting is dismissed but we will gather here again tomorrow when the first adjustments were made. For the making the adjustments I would ask everyone, who is familiar with creating strategies for such missions, as well as all leaders of groups, to assist me and my team”, the red-haired guardian ended. </p><p>A short mumble went through the crowd before it began moving. The majority of the crowd began to move out of the hall while the leaders and some probably higher-ups from each group met up on the side of the stage.</p><p>Changbin tried to continue watching the leaders and their higher subordinates but his view was blocked, which made him unconsciously pout a little but he quickly covered it up when he noticed it. </p><p>“Stop pouting and get your ass moving”, Jae said, who had already stood up from his place beside him. Changbin looked up to his blond hyung with a bit of confusion in his expression. <br/>It only slowly dawned to him, that technically he was a leader too, just not one of a group but of an entire specie of supernatural creatures. Jae as well as Younghyun, Changkyun and Dowoon were currently the highest vampire subordinates in his surroundings. </p><p>“Alright, I am coming”, he said before turning to Felix, Minho and Jisung. The three looked at him like he had grown a second head - or at least the Lee brothers did. Changbin had to refer from chuckling at their expressions. </p><p>“I will back later. Probably with Chan-hyung”, Changbin quickly said. He got a nod from the three and a little encouraging smile from Felix and Jisung. </p><p>“We will grab Hyunjin and Jeongin and head to our room. Meet us there”, Felix quickly added before Changbin could join Jae and Younghyun, who waited for him at the end of the row of seats. Changbin gave the ginger cat hybrid a quick nod and quickly jogged over to Younghyun and Jae. </p><p>The three vampires walked to the group of leaders, which waited on the side of the stage in front of a door, which probably led to another room where they would discuss the first adjustments to the plan. Chan quickly joined Changbin’s side when the short halted near the group. The wolf hybrid was probably nervous because he never attended a meeting where they would need his opinion on pretty important things. Changbin could relate to this feeling but when he had his hyungs from Day6 and one of his close friends by his side he felt a lot more confident. Changkyun also joined the group, standing near his leader from MonstaX. </p><p>Taeyong waited until everyone had gather before he opened the door, which led to a rather large room. It had no windows and was only lit up by lamps but it mad an spacious impression since the only furniture here were couches, which were pushed to the walls and a simple-looking desk at the other end. There was also another door, which probably led to the corridor they walked down before entering the trainings hall, where the meeting took place. </p><p>“Please make yourselves comfortable”, Taeyong said gesturing to the couches. Everyone slowly entered the room, taking a seat on the many couches. </p><p>Changbin sat down on a couch with Chan and Jae on each side of him. On another couch on his right side sat Younghyun with Sungjin while on the couch opposite of them sat Hyunjun, IZ’s leader, together with Ravn and another male of ONEUS.  </p><p>The unknown male had black hair but with a lot of brown colored strains. His eyes were teal blue, which led Changbin to believe he was a warlock at first but when he noticed the pointy ears he corrected his first suggestion to an elf even though he had never seen an elf with teal blue eyes before. Normally elves had dark eyes like vampires. Maybe this male was an exception? </p><p>“I will have to cut the introduction short since we should make the adjustments as fast as possible”, Taeyong stated, gaining the attention of everyone while Yuta, who stood beside him already let the map appear in the middle of the room. The leader of NCT was standing at the end of the room, leaning onto the table behind him. </p><p>“I will start with explaining in every detail the plan Johnny and I have come up with. It’s a very rough sketch of a plan, so please interrupt me when something comes to your mind. After all the plan only works with a certain number of creatures, which we have estimated beforehand, meaning we only included very vague power sets”, Taeyong continued, looking around to see if he got everyone’s silent approval. </p><p>Changbin gave the guardian a little nod when their eyes met like most of the leaders did. Taeyong took a short breath before he started to explain Johnny’s and his plan. </p><p>——————————————</p><p>Seungmin was biting his nails while he waited for Changbin to pick up his phone. The redhead sucked in a breath when he heard Changbin’s voice only to realize a second later that it was the voice mail. With a sigh Seungmin hung up the phone. Maybe he shouldn’t have fallen for the same trick twice or was it trice? He couldn’t recall. </p><p>“And?”, Wonpil asked from his spot besides the bed where Dowoon was laying. The vampire had passed out shortly after Wonpil and Byungho had saved him. According to Byungho it was normal, so it was nothing to worry about. It still amazed Seungmin that his angelic brother had reacted so quickly to the situation while he couldn’t think of a single solution for anything. </p><p>“Nothing. Nobody is picking up their phone”, Seungmin said, trying to leave his nails alone. He had gotten rid of his nail biting habit a long time ago but after everything that happened he just subconsciously started doing it again. </p><p>“I hope nothing happened at the NCT headquarter”, Wonpil sighed and looked at Dowoon again. The older demon had tried to call his group members too but it was the same with Seungmin’s friends, they didn’t pick up no matter how often he tried. </p><p>Seungmin looked over to Byungho, who sat in the armchair next to a bookshelf, with a little bit of hope shimmering in his eyes. He had tried calling Chan and Minho but also tried reaching Jungwoo, a childhood friend of him, who was part of NCT. </p><p>“I can’t reach Jungwoo either”, the brunette said while shaking his head. Seungmin groaned and roughly put his phone onto the desk on his right. He ruffled through his red hair in frustration. </p><p>“What in the world is going on?”, he asked more himself that his two brothers. After the incident with Zendala, after Dowoon almost died and after Athea’s death Seungmin had the feeling everything was officially out of his control. By all gods his father was currently working on creating new barriers and on relocating the mansion, so no one could get in or out of the house without him noticing as well as giving Zendala not another opportunity to get in the Kim mansion. </p><p>Seungmin, on the other hand, was currently stuck in a guest room enchanted by Lilith because it was safer than Wonpil’s bedroom along with Byungho, Wonpil and an unconscious Dowoon. Woosu and Samuel were in another room with Rana because Woosu was still in shock over his mother’s sudden death and was only reachable by the use of a siren’s voice. </p><p>For the sake of Seungmin’s sanity he needed to let his friends know all of the things that happened while he hadn’t been with them but he also had to know if they are safe. Zendala got into the Kim mansion through Dowoon, so what if the NCT headquarter got infiltrated or attacked and nobody noticed it until now?</p><p>“Seungmin calm down”, the young redhead suddenly heard Wonpil’s voice. Instinctively Seungmin snapped his head around to look at his brother. While he was moving he subconsciously noticed his devil’s tail and slowly felt the weight of it on his lower back. Looking into Wonpil’s worried eyes confirmed that Seungmin’s horns were probably visible too. </p><p>“It really is that bad, isn’t it?”, Seungmin breathed out and slowly raised his hands to look at them. Relief washed over him when he saw they were still normal and not transformed. It really wouldn’t be beneficial if his hands had turned to claws now. Seungmin looked up again only to see that Wonpil wrapped him up in a hug. </p><p>“Listen, no matter what comes next. We will get through this together. Alright?”, the older demon said and Seungmin felt that he also looked over to Byungho. The older male let go of Seungmin, so he could look his younger brother into the eyes. A certain flame burned within the usually clam and warm orbs of the older redhead. </p><p>“If Zendala dares to even come close to anyone we love ever again we will curse her and personally escort her to hell”, the older redhead stated in unusual serious tone. It made something in Seungmin’s head click. Now he knew what the flame in his brother’s eyes was. According to old demonic books it was called “the flame of revenge”. </p><p>Demons had a natural desire for revenge if they felt like injustice has been done to them. This combined with their vary moral compass could lead to great destruction but Seungmin knew Wonpil’s moral compass was better than his, which was why he didn’t worry about his older brother. It was the exact opposite, Wonpil had an advantage because the flame of revenge would keep him focused on getting revenge on Zendala. Seungmin guessed it had activated itself after Dowoon was hit by an spell of Zendala but he hadn’t only noticed it now. </p><p>The flame of revenge was nothing you see in someone’s behavior most of the time. It was just visible in the eyes and gave the demon a focused mind as well as a bit more power. Right now it also helped Seungmin collect his mind, even though it shouldn’t affect him this way. It probably was more of Wonpil’s influence anyway. </p><p>“Are you okay now?”, Wonpil asked, slowly releasing the younger demon. Seungmin nodded and looked to Byungho, who quietly observed the situation. His wings were still out, which showed that a part of Byungho still wasn’t okay but he seemed calm and was able to think rational, which he had proven by saving Dowoon’s life with Wonpil’s help. </p><p>Seungmin’s eyes shifted back to Wonpil. “We should-“, he began but he was interrupted by his phone ringing. The redhead quickly grabbed his phone and saw that Hyunjin was calling him back. He had ever picked up a call faster. </p><p>“Hyunjin”, he almost yelled into the phone. From the other side of the line came a short pained groaned. “I’m holding my phone to my ear you know? I like my ear drums”, the siren replied, in a complaining tone. In the background was a lot of noise but for now Seungmin didn’t care. Relief washed over him like a wave. He hadn’t known that he would react this way when he heard the voice of one of his friends.</p><p>“Damn it, Hyunjin. I called all of you idiots over a hundred times. I thought something happened to you”,  Seungmin choked out, a lot less confident than he had planed to. By all the gods, why couldn’t he just keep himself together today?</p><p>“Says you! Do you know that NCT is searching for your family? They tried finding your house with Jisung’s help but failed. We were worried about you and Byungho-hyung too. Sure, we were told that your father is a powerful warlock and probably hide his house well but still!”, Hyunjin replied, scolding Seungmin in a funny tone. </p><p>The redhead couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit at the tone. Form the other end came some offended noises made by the siren, which made Seungmin laugh a tiny bit. “Stop laughing and take me seriously! We really were worried”, the siren said in a tone, which told Seungmin he was probably pouting. </p><p>“I’m taking you serious. I’m just ... just glad you are okay. The others hopefully too?”, Seungmin questioned, slowly regaining a bit of control over himself. </p><p>“Sure they are fine. Most of us just came out of a meeting. Taeyong officially announced the rescue mission and gave some basic information. Changbin-hyung and Chan-hyung had to go to another one because they’re leaders”, the siren explained. </p><p>All the fear and tension Seungmin previously felt were lifted off his shoulders after hearing this. They were all safe, they were all fine. Dowoon seemingly just got extremely unlucky and was the only one, who was somehow tricked into helping Zendala. </p><p>“Seungmin? Are you okay?”, Hyunjin questioned after Seungmin was silent for a few moments. The siren’s voice ripped Seungmin out of his little daze. </p><p>“Yeah I ... I’m fine”, the redhead replied sounding normal now. Both Wonpil and Byungho looked at their younger brother and then at each other. A silent way of saying: “Is he serious?” but they weren’t the only ones, who thought this was strange. </p><p>“Are you sure?”, Hyunjin asked, sounding worried. “I-“, Seungmin began but he interrupted himself when he heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line. Was it Jisung? </p><p>“Seungmin I’m putting you on speaker. An annoying squirrel just arrived”, the siren said, which was followed by the sound of someone being hit and an “Ouch” from Hyunjin. </p><p>“KIM SEUNGMIN WHAT BY ALL GODS DID YOU THINK NOT REACTING TO OUR CALLS AND MESSAGES FOR ALMOST TWO DAYS”, Jisung yelled into the phone. Now it was Seungmin’s turn to become almost deaf. </p><p>“Minho-hyung get your boyfriend under control or Seungmin-hyung may become deaf”, you could hear Jeongin in the background. This was followed by Jisung loudly protesting against something, which Seungmin guessed was a forced hug by Minho. </p><p>“For the sake of our sanity. Seungmin are you and Byungho-hyung okay? Where even are you? Are you safe?”, Seungmin heard Felix ask. The ginger sounded so concerned it made Seungmin just a tiny bit.</p><p>“Byungho-hyung and I are at home and safe, don’t worry. Hyunjin already told me that NCT searched for us. My father hid the house very well, so I don’t blame them for not finding us”, Seungmin answered. </p><p>“Not finding for sure. They probably thought I was joking when I led them to your address only to see the whole damn mansion was gone!”, Jisung yelled in the background, making Seungmin lightly chuckle again. Still, it didn’t fail to remind Seungmin, that he did not know why NCT was even searching for his family. </p><p>“Why did NCT even search for us?”, Seungmin questioned, hoping to get an answer right away. </p><p>“We were told you and your family could be potential targets of the hunters just like my aunt, so they wanted to bring you and them to the NCT headquarter for protection”, Jeongin explained. </p><p>This made Seungmin freeze a bit and look over to Byungho and Wonpil and then to Dowoon. Well, they already had become a target apparently and Zendala’s first attack didn’t succeed since she wanted Byungho, Wonpil and him but she did manage to kill Athea. </p><p>When he started to think back to the situation his blood began to run cold. Zendala knew what Wonpil and he were and she also knew about Byungho being a demon-angel mix. And she ... she panicked after seeing Athea because apparently Athea knew her or better knew who she really was as well as her real name. </p><p>Suddenly someone took Seungmin’s phone out of his grip, startling the redhead. He immediately calm down after looking into Byungho’s golden eyes. </p><p>“Sorry guys. Seungmin just spaced out a little”, Byungho said calmly into the phone, which was followed by excited greetings and the usual chaos of different voices. Seungmin looked at Byungho talking at the phone for some time while his mind was entirely somewhere else. Which name did Athea try to say before she was killed? </p><p>“Seungmin?”, Wonpil softly calling his younger brother’s name and successfully ripped him out of his thoughts. Seungmin turned his head to look at his oldest brother. His mind was running, trying to figure out how he could find out more about Zendala. The most important detail was Athea knowing her, which could also mean that Woosu knew her.  </p><p>“Hyung, we need to find out who Zendala really is. We need the name Athea tried to call her by before she died. We need to talk to Woosu. He could already know her”, Seungmin immediately said. If he could figure out who Zendala really was, so he could find her weakness and use it against her. </p><p>Wonpil seemed to think about it for a while. His eyes drifted over to the still unconscious Dowoon, who hadn’t moved a muscle in over an hour but was still evenly breathing. There was no telling when he would wake up. </p><p>“Start with father. He said he would help if we asked, didn’t he? Let’s talk to Woosu when he is ready”, the older answered. Seungmin gave him an little nod. This suggestion made a lot more sense and maybe was even more beneficial.  </p><p>“We should show up at the NCT headquarter as fast as possible”, Byungho spoke up. Seungmin turned to his older brother, who had just hung up the phone. He walked over to his two brothers to hand Seungmin his phone. Seungmin took the phone and put it into the back pocket of his jeans. </p><p>“Sounds like you two want to keep quiet about what happened”, Wonpil mumbled, probably more to himself than Seungmin and Byungho. Seungmin shook his head at that. It was the last thing he wanted to right now because at the moment, he felt like he didn’t have the energy to hide anything. </p><p>“We will tell them”, Seungmin promised and glanced at Byungho. The brunette nodded as silent approval but Seungmin couldn’t tell if the older truly wanted to tell their friends about the passing of his mother and Athea or not. Still, he wanted his friends to know but he wanted to tell them about the current situation of the Kim family personally. </p><p>“We will tell them in person and let them in on what we know as well as Taeyong and NCT but for now we will figure out what father knows and maybe already get the real name to the female warlock we currently know as Zendala”, Seungmin added.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0062"><h2>62. Athea and Zendala</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin tries to find out more about Zendala through his father.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin walked down the corridors of the Kim mansion in search for his father. Byungho was following him while looking around a little to maybe spot Lucifer in the corridors they crossed on their way. They both had no clue where their father could be, since renewing the barriers around the mansion and preparing a teleportation to a different location required a lot of position changes to get good results. </p><p>The younger of the two brothers was tempted to try a tracking rune, even though he knew it was useless. You couldn’t just track down the devil with magic created by creatures born and raised on earth. Seungmin lightly clenched his teeth when they walked passed the stairs, which lead to the first floor for the second time. </p><p>“Any ideas where he might be?”, Seungmin broke the silence between him and Byungho, while internally hoping the other would make a suggestion. To Seungmin’s disappointment Byungho lightly shook his head as an answer. </p><p>“Who are you searching for?”, a female voice came from the stairs. Seungmin looked up to see his mother walking down the stairs. She looked unbothered by the current situation and Seungmin swore she even had traces of a smile on her blood-red lips. </p><p>Seungmin had to bite back a comment about this, since he could imagine what caused his mother’s happiness. She lost two “rivals” she hated with all her heart in the span of two days. If this wasn’t the reason for her happiness Seungmin would doubt his own sanity. </p><p>A quick glance to Byungho, who silently stood beside him, told the redhead that his older brother either hadn’t notice the faint smile of victory on his mother’s lips, or pretended to not have noticed, hence why he wasn’t showing any kind of reaction.  </p><p>“We are searching for father”, Seungmin answered, talking with a rather cold voice. Lilith finished walking down the stairs and stood in front of the two boys. Her red eyes quickly scanned over the boys’ faces before a light grin made it’s way onto her face. </p><p>“Currently he is in the garden preparing the teleportation of the mansion and renewing the barriers”, Lilith replied. Seungmin thought his mother’s behavior was weird but he just ticked it off as her having a wonderful day due Athea’s death, which in all honesty made him angry. It wasn’t because he was close with the female warlock, but rather the fact that his mother didn’t even have the decency to pretend she was shocked or felt sorry for Woosu, who out of nowhere lost his mother.</p><p>Despite his dislike towards his mother Seungmin mumbled a “Thanks” and walked passed her with Byungho following close behind to get to the door, which lead to the huge garden of the Kim mansion. The garden was kept in shape by magic, meaning even when the garden was covered by a thin blanket of snow it could be described as breathtaking.</p><p>What Seungmin didn’t know about the garden was why he was created. Sure, when he and his brothers were younger they would play hide and seek in the garden until they were tried but as far as Seungmin knew his father created basically every tree, every flower one by one with seemingly no motive or reason. Over the years Seungmin wasn’t able to ever figure out why his father would do something like that.</p><p>Before Seungmin and Byungho stepped out into the cold they threw on their jackets, which hung on the little hangers next to the door, which lead to the garden, and put on some shoes. The two brothers walked out of the door and were greeted by a cold gush of wind. Seungmin tightened the jacket around himself and walked down the paths, which lead the way to the middle of the garden, in hopes of quickly spotting his father. </p><p>In the center of the garden was a big, white pavilion, which was decorated with some white divan beds and a glass table in the middle, as well as some white roses in the warmer seasons. When the pavilion came in view Byungho and Seungmin stopped because they weren’t sure if their eyes were playing tricks on them. </p><p>In the middle of the pavilion stood their father with his back turned towards them. There was no furniture but a lot of white chrysanthemums mixed with white tulips, which seemed to cover almost the whole pavilion. Seungmin never knew those type of flowers could grow around pillars until now. The floor was covered by the flowers too but Seungmin also noticed a symbol on the ground of the pavilion but he had to get closer to identify it. </p><p>Seungmin ripped himself out of his trance by shaking his head and turning towards Byungho, who was looking at the pavilion like he had seen a ghost. His dark eyes with the golden glimmer were still fixed on the pavilion while his black wings, which were still visible, slowly came forward like they wanted to protect Byungho from an incoming attack. Seungmin immediately placed himself between his brother and the pavilion. </p><p>“Byungho-hyung snap out of it”, Seungmin said rather loudly, startling his brother in the process. Byungho’s black wings stopped their motion and slowly began to fold themselves into their previous positions. </p><p>“I’m sorry. I just ...”, he wanted to explain but trailed off with grief reflecting itself in his eyes. Seungmin knew who this was about, which also let his heart ache. Something must have reminded Byungho of Eve. There was no other explanation. </p><p>“Come on. We need to talk to father”, Seungmin mumbled and reached his hand out for Byungho to grab. Almost automatically did the older grab the redhead’s hand and let himself be lead towards the pavilion where their father was seemingly already waiting for them. </p><p>He had turned around when Seungmin had told Byungho to snap out of his trance. To the surprise of the two young Kims their father neither had his confident aura surrounding him nor his signature grin on his lips. It almost seemed like he was regretting something. </p><p>“Let me guess. You want to know what I know about Zendala?”, Lucifer asked when Seungmin and Byungho entered the pavilion. Seungmin had anticipated, that his father would be well aware of the situation. After all, he was an all-knowing creature even as the devil. </p><p>“Yes, but we especially want to know why Athea knew her”, Seungmin answered, quickly glancing at the symbol on the floor of the pavilion before he met his father’s eyes. Even with this quick glance Seungmin could identify the symbol. It was the main control point of the barriers, which protected the mansion. A lot of other ones were scattered around the house, which meant Lucifer was currently working on the barriers but also preparing for the teleportation of the whole mansion. </p><p>Right now, getting information out of his father was more important than pondering over the mansion’s barriers and the system behind it, so Seungmin let his whole attention focus on Lucifer. The devil looked from Seungmin to Byungho for a brief moment before sighing and turning his head to look over the garden, which was dunked into the faint orange light of the slowly disappearing sun. </p><p>“Athea and Zendala were friends in the past but they also trained magic together. As far as I know they lost contact years ago, meaning I never knew her personally”, the devil explained, using a neutral tone, which didn’t reveal any special emotions. Seungmin knew his father couldn’t lie just like an angel, so he figured Lucifer really didn’t know Zendala and never was much interested in her. Still, he had to know a little bit more. </p><p>“Did Athea ever mention her real name?”, Seungmin continued, keeping his eyes fixed onto his father. Lucifer shook his head and turned his head back to his sons. There was no special emotion displayed in his eyes, which was something Seungmin didn’t particularly like because it made it difficult to read his father. </p><p>“Athea never mentioned Zendala’s real name. She only referred to her as an old friend, who worked with her”, he answered still using this neutral tone. </p><p>Seungmin thought this over for a second before asking his next question. Somehow, everything Lucifer seemed to know about Zendala he had been told by Athea. Seungmin had never taken the female warlock as someone, who shared any information from her past with anyone. After all, he knew little to nothing about her from an objective point of view. Still, the question why Lucifer had even recognized Zendala as Athea’s old friend, or how he knew she had been the one to break into the Kim mansion, remained. </p><p>“How did you know Zendala was an old friend of Athea? How did you recognize her?”, the redhead asked, narrowing his eyes at his father. He wouldn’t let him avoid this question or refuse to give out important information. Lucifer’s face remained neutral. It seemed he was completely unbothered by the question. </p><p>“When the war was officially announced I sat in the living room together with Athea. Her eyes were only focused on the cloaked figure standing beside the hunter with the red crystal. She thought it was Zendala for a moment, whispering out loud, that this is her old friend, but she took back that statement soon after. In the end, she told me her old friend might be Zendala and after NCT officially released a brief article on the supernatural world’s newest foe just a day after the declaration Athea’s suspicion became true. If you want a conformation for this ask Woosu if she behaved differently on the day of the war declaration and the day after that”, Lucifer scoffed, but still managed to somehow sound unbothered. Seungmin couldn’t deny, that his father was telling the truth though; otherwise his eyes would betray him, but the thing he couldn’t understand was why Athea kept quiet about it the whole time. </p><p>“If Athea knew so much about Zendala, even her real name, why would she keep quiet about it? If Zendala was out of the game the supernatural world wouldn’t be in as much danger as it is now”, Seungmin argued, looking at his father in mild disbelief. He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of keeping something so important secret. Athea could have saved lives as well as her own.</p><p>“If Athea hadn’t kept quiet about the stuff she knew about Zendala she maybe would even be alive right now”, the redhead said more quiet, in hopes of not summoning unwanted images into his head. </p><p>Lucifer closed his eyes for a second and took in a breath before his dark orbs reappeared. “Athea kept quiet about Zendala because she met her while she was in a dark place and also thought she was dead until she though to have seen her on TV. I don’t know why this awoke Athea’s suspicion of her old friend being Zendala, but what I do know is, that Athea used to work as a feeder and prostitute when she was younger, because she had no other choice if she wanted to survive”, Lucifer began, taking both Byungho and Seungmin off guard. The proud and strict Athea, who hated Lilith beyond imagination, and taught Woosu everything he knew, used to be a prostitute and a feeder? That sounded like a lie. </p><p>“Originally she was only a feeder for vampires, who consumed blood of other creatures like it was a drug, but at some point that wasn’t enough to keep her safe and alive, so she also became a prostitute. According to the recent news this means, that Zendala used to be a feeder too, but Athea never knew if she was also a prostitute or not. According to what Athea told me Zendala had been a very popular feeder because he was very pretty and according to her costumers had a very delicious blood”, Lucifer continued. </p><p>Seungmin shivered because a part of his brain reminded him of the incident with Jisung. Valentin King was the vampire, who bit Jisung after the warlock had been drugged by his own uncle. At that time he never considered that Jisung’s terrible uncle could have promoted Jisung as a feeder to the rich vampire. This made Seungmin dislike him even more, but it also let an idea pop up. </p><p>“Father do you know anyone by the name Ro Kanho? He might have connections to this feeder business. Did Athea ever mention a tall male warlock with green eyes, a beard, yellow teeth and tousled green hair”, Seungmin quickly described Jisung’s uncle as detailed as possible. Lucifer looked at him in silence for a few minutes before he answered. </p><p>“Athea never mentioned any names from this part of her past but the description fits someone she used to hate. It was a male warlock with green hair much like the one you described, who would often bring in customers for Zendala and her”, he replied. A short flash of anger passed in the devil’s eyes but it was gone too fast to be sure. </p><p>Seungmin sucked in a breath. That was a lead he needed to follow. The redhead turned around to Byungho in an instant. “We need to tell the others, especially Changbin”, he quickly stated. Byungho looked with a little bit of confusion at him, making Seungmin remember that Byungho might not know the name of Jisung’s uncle.</p><p>“Ro Kanho is Jisung’s uncle and with Changbin’s help we can track him down. If we find him we might be able to find out more about Zendala”, Seungmin quickly explained to his older brother. Byungho nodded slowly, probably searching through his memory to better understand what Seungmin just told him. The redhead let his brother ponder and turned back to his father. </p><p>“That was very helpful. Thank you, father”, he thanked Lucifer before turning around once more to grab Byungho. He dragged the older back to the mansion while the sun was almost done disappearing behind the horizon. The young demon wanted to get back to Wonpil and catch him up as well as check if Dowoon woke up before he called his vampire friend.</p><p>A small smile adored Lucifer’s lips when he watched them run towards the mansion. “They sure grow up fast”, he said to himself while turning around to watch the sun disappear fully behind the horizon, dunking the garden into darkness. </p><p>“It sure would be nice to believe that you could watch this, Eve, Athea”, he mumbled while picking up a white chrysanthemums and a white tulip. </p><p>———————————</p><p>After the meeting was over Changbin walked out of the room with Chan, Jae, Sungjin and Younghyun following behind him. Some of the adjustments were now made, but the plan wasn’t perfect yet, because they still needed to gather some information, which Taeyong and his group would probably get over the course of the night with the help of the magic users of other groups. </p><p>This didn’t involve Stray Kids or Day6, which was the whole reason they were good to go. Jae, Younghyun and Sungjin all had a missed call from Wonpil, which was why they assumed Dowoon’s mission was a success, but that didn’t explain why he still wasn’t back. After all, didn’t they have this unspoken agreement about Dowoon return as soon as possible? Maybe, the vampire was held up by something or thought it was more safe to stay at the Kim mansion for the night.</p><p>Changbin surely wouldn’t figure that out until tomorrow, because his hyungs send him to bed, since it was already dark outside and Chan betrayed him by siding with them, which was why he wasn’t talking to the older male, even though they were walking beside each other. </p><p>“We need the sleep, trust me”, Chan spoke up, looking at his shorter friend. Changbin internally gave up on punishing Chan by staying silent and sighed because he knew that better than anyone. He didn’t have a proper night sleep since the whole mess with Zendala started but he also knew that he should rest for the sake of the other leaders. After, all at least one person shouldn’t be exhausted when they discuss further changes in the plan. </p><p>“I know we need the rest because the older leaders will probably stay up all night to prepare for the meeting tomorrow”, the vampire huffed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jean. Chan seemed to silently agree and looked forward again, probably thinking about something. </p><p>“I hope Seungmin and Byungho are okay”, the wolf hybrid mumbled, probably not realizing that it was loud enough for Changbin to hear. The vampire felt a little bad since Chan knew nothing about the two Kim brothers’ whereabouts, but Changbin didn’t necessarily knew more, since he hadn’t heard anything from Dowoon yet. </p><p>“They’re fine. I’m sure about that”, Changbin tried to reassure his friend. The older gave him a little nod and a small smile, but that smile didn’t show his dimples and also didn’t reach his eyes. He was still worried and Changbin could understand that. Byungho was his boyfriend and mate, after all. </p><p>They continued to walk beside each other in silence until they reached the point where they had to split up, because Chan now had a room with his mother and brother while Changbin still roomed with Jisung, Minho and Felix. </p><p>They wished each other a good night before separating and walking back to their rooms. Changbin ran the short way to his room in supernatural speed, primarily because he couldn’t stand the empty and quiet halls, and after sitting for so long he needed it. He wanted to open the door to his room, but was beat to it by a certain ginger.</p><p>“Changbin-hyung you won’t believe what happened”, Felix almost yelled into the vampire’s face. Changbin was startled by that and wanted to automatically take a step back but Felix just grabbed his hand and dragged him into the room, closing the door with a soft kick. </p><p>“Seungmin called!”, Felix yelled again but a little louder this time. Changbin blinked in confusion before his brain processed the given information. “Wait, what. Seungmin called you! When was that?!”, Changbin questioned, subconsciously mirroring Felix’s loudness. </p><p>“For the protocol. He didn’t call. Well, technically he did but I called him back after the main meeting because he tried calling everyone of us multiple times”, Hyunjin, who sat on one of the lower bunk beds, clarified. </p><p>Hearing that Changbin fished his phone out of the back pocket of his jean and turned on the display. Eleven missed calls from Seungmin along with one very charming text message, which said: “PICK UP YOUR STUPID PHONE SEO CHANGBIN”</p><p>“For the gods’ sake. And what about him? Did something happen?”, Changbin asked, looking at Hyunjin. The siren shook his head, letting a bit of relief flood the vampire’s system. “Not really he was just as worried as we were but said he was fine. Byungho-hyung is also fine by the way”, he explained. </p><p>Changbin sighed in relief but according to what Hyunjin said Seungmin didn’t mention Dowoon or Wonpil, which didn’t give him a good feeling but if Seungmin was now picking up his phone again he could just call the redhead. </p><p>Like that was a cue the display of Changbin’s phone lit up giving him a silent notice that someone was calling him. It was Seungmin. Without hesitation the vampire picked up. </p><p>“Seungmin?”, Changbin said into the phone, almost afraid it wasn’t the redhead but this also gained the attention of the whole room. He saw Hyunjin mouthing “Put him on speaker” but before Changbin could ask the redhead already began talking.</p><p>“Changbin-hyung I need your help. You helped me track down Valentin King with the name Ro Kanho, remember that?”, Seungmin asked right away. Changbin blinked a bit in confusion, because he had no idea why Seungmin would bring that up now. What had the redhead discovered to make this information relevant again?</p><p>“Sure, I remember that but why are you asking that now?”, the vampire questioned, motioning the rest to be quiet. “Because I need to know where Ro Kanho currently is, because given the current situation chances are high he fled the city or moved to a different place”, Seungmin quickly explained. </p><p>“Yeah, but why is he important now?”, Changbin asked again with frowned eyebrows. “Because he may know Zendala”, Seungmin answered with an unusual coldness in his voice.</p><p>Changbin froze after his brain processed what Seungmin had said. How could it be that Ro Kanho or better Jisung’s uncle knew Zendala? How were they connected? Subconsciously the vampire’s gaze shifted towards Jisung, who sat on the ground in front of Minho, who had his arms wrapped around the warlock with the blue hair’s middle. </p><p>Jisung meet the vampire’s gaze and Changbin knew, that at one point he wouldn’t be able to shield the warlock from the knowledge the boy predicted. </p><p>“Seungmin I will put you on speaker”, Changbin suddenly stated and didn’t even wait for Seungmin’s reply before he took his phone away from his ear and pressed the speaker button.</p><p>“Please explain this to everyone here and don’t leave out any kind of detail”, the vampire said, while the rest scooted closer with a worried expression. There was a silence on the other end, which was unsettling for Changbin, but Seungmin was probably just thinking it over since he has always been the type of person, who tried to protect everyone around him by not telling them things he deemed to be harmful. He always operated from the shadows to protect others, you could say. </p><p>“Seungmin please explain it”, Jisung spoke up, trying to coax his best friend into talking again. If Jisung didn’t get Seungmin to talk, no one could. “I ...”, Seungmin began but then he seemed to change his mind mid sentence. “Is Chan-hyung there with you?”, he asked instead. </p><p>“No, he went to his room to get some rest”, Changbin answered. “Please get him. If I’m going to say everything, everyone should be there to hear it”, Seungmin sighed, like he was already regretting his decision. It made Changbin almost fearful because he asked himself once again what the hell had happened while they had no contact to the Kim brothers. </p><p>“I will get Chan-hyung”, Changbin said while handing his phone to Hyunjin. After all, he was the fastest out of all of them. Without thinking twice, the vampire dashed out of the room, heading towards the current location of Chan. </p><p>When he stood in front of the door, which lead to the room occupied by the Bang Family, he didn’t hesitate to knock. Waiting for the door to open felt like an eternity, even though it were only a few heartbeats of actual waiting. Mrs. Bang was the one, who opened the door. She seemed quite surprised to see Changbin. </p><p>“I need to borrow Chan-hyung for some time”, Changbin immediately said before Mrs. Bang could even greet him. The female wolf hybrid seemed a bit worried but called Chan nonetheless. </p><p>“I hope nothing bad happened”, she commented to which Changbin shook his head, even though he probably looked like he was lying. If he wasn’t honest he wasn’t even sure himself if he was lying or not. When Chan stood next to his mother he looked both confused and worried. </p><p>“Seungmin called”, was all Changbin needed to say for Chan to quickly say goodbye to his mother and brother. He quickly followed the vampire outside of the room and somehow they both ended up running down the corridors. Changbin was running in the same pace as Chan, even though he wished he could just dash back to the room in his full speed. </p><p>“Are Byungho and Seungmin okay?”, Chan asked shortly after they left the room of the Bang family. The wolf hybrid tried to mask his worry with a certain seriousness but Changbin had seen that trick often enough to look right through it. </p><p>“Seemingly, they are fine, yes. The others had also talked to them after the meeting with all groups. We were just unlucky enough to miss that because of the meeting of the leaders. Apparently, Seungmin and Byungho tried calling all of us, so you should have some missed calls on your phone but more important is that Seungmin seemingly knows a way to get information about Zendala”, Changbin quickly explained. </p><p>Chan nodded as a sign that he understood. They reached the room of Changbin, Jisung and the Lee brothers shortly after that. There was a bit of talking when they entered the room. Hyunjin had seemingly made it his mission to let Seungmin keep talking, even though it wasn’t related to the things Chan needed to hear too. All of them sat on the ground in a circle with the phone in the middle.</p><p>“Changbin-hyung is back with Chan-hyung”, the siren said into the phone, while he patted the free spot beside him. Changbin and Chan walked over to the circle, breathing a bit heavily. Changbin sat down next to Hyunjin while Chan flopped down next to the vampire. On the other side of the wolf hybrid sat Felix, who casually took Chan’s hand into his when he noticed the worried look of the wolf hybrid’s face. </p><p>“Alright”, Seungmin mumbled on the other end. “I should warn you though, because I don’t think you will like what you will hear”, the redhead warned in a rather soft voice. Changbin glanced at Chan after hearing that, because he wanted to see the older’s reaction to this. Chan remained seemingly unfazed since his expression didn’t change but Changbin  wasn’t sure if he believed that. </p><p>“Just tell us, Seungmin. It’s fine. We are your friends, after all”, Hyunjin said on the behalf of everyone. Changbin silently agreed with it, but also wanted to know what Seungmin found out as a leader. After all, if Seungmin really found out more about Zendala those information could be used to the advantage of the supernaturals. Knowing more about Zendala’s person would mean being able to better predict her moves or at least figuring out her weakness. </p><p>“Currently my father is working on relocating our house because of an incident, which took place earlier today”, Seungmin began and Changbin noticed with worry the uncertainty in his voice. “My father had hidden our house as you may know, since you weren’t able to find us. What made this possible were barriers surrounding the house. My father is quite powerful in every subject of magic therefore the barriers are unnoticeable if you don’t know about them and for the most part unbreakable”, the redhead explained. </p><p>Changbin noticed how everyone was a bit confused by this information since they couldn’t connect the dots yet but the vampire got a very bad feeling. Especially, because Seungmin said “for the most part unbreakable” which indicated that someone had been able to break the barrier in the past. This combined with the first thing made Changbin feel even more uneasy. </p><p>“What are you hinting at, hyung?”, Jeongin asked, sounding like he already had his suspicions. Maybe the kitsune even had a similar thought process to Changbin. “Please don’t flip out because we are fine, alright”, Seungmin mumbled and took a breath. Changbin could feel the tension in the room rise while his own bad feeling grew. </p><p>“Zendala managed to get into our house”, Seungmin finally said. There was a silence because  everyone needed to process that for a moment. </p><p>“Wait... you mean-“, Jisung stuttered while Changbin had the feeling his brain wasn’t cooperating with him. Zendala got into the house of the Kim family while the whole family was present? How?</p><p>“She got in through a secret path I created to get in and out of the mansion without anyone noticing. We used that path to sneak out to the headquarter for the most part. My father repaired it and renewed the barriers. Nobody can get in or out now without my father knowing”, Seungmin explained but Changbin noticed his discomfort and maybe even a bit of guilt in his voice. </p><p>“Seungmin, why did she... how”, Hyunjin mumbled to himself mostly. He seemed just as lost for words as everyone else. Changbin himself still couldn’t properly process that. Zendala really broke into the mansion of the Kims. Why would she do that? Why would she risk it?</p><p>A part of Changbin suddenly reminded him of Ryan. The vampire, who used to follow him all the time when he was still kind of a loner at Miroh High. After he began hanging out with Seungmin, Hyunjin and all of his current close friends, Ryan had tried to make Changbin turn away from them by digging up some things. Back then Ryan had told him that Seungmin was a demon in hopes of driving Changbin away from the redhead with fear but it had backfired because the vampire had figured out Seungmin was a demon long before getting close to him. </p><p>Changbin lightly shook his head. He had banned that memory into the back of his mind and asked himself why he should ponder about this now until he start thinking about it how Ryan and his friends even got the information of Seungmin being a demon. As far as Changbin knew Seungmin never told anyone about his true nature. But what if he only thought that and Jisung knew it all along? </p><p>The vampire shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it now. There were more important things to consider. Seungmin knew something important, so he should focus on that and not how little he knew about the person he maybe even had a crush on. </p><p>“Changbin-hyung?”, he heard a worried voice say his name. Instinctively Changbin looked towards the voice and came face to face with Hyunjin, whose dark eyes glimmered with concern. Without warning the siren gently cupped his cheeks and looked into his eyes, letting Changbin forget what he thought about only seconds prior. </p><p>Hyunjin seemed to muster his eyes and while he did that Changbin was almost hyperaware of the siren’s warm hands on his cheeks, the way Hyunjin seemed to lightly bite the inside of his right cheek and the dark, warm orbs, which looked directly into his eyes. </p><p>“Your eyes turned red again”, the siren mumbled, pulling the vampire out of his trance. Changbin needed a second to register Hyunjin’s words but when he did he understood his strange train of thoughts from before. </p><p>His Red Glow must have slowly activated itself when Seungmin said Zendala got into his house and this resulted in Changbin thinking about how that was possible, which made him also consider Seungmin’s species and who knew about it. </p><p>“Alright listen up everyone”, a voice, which did not belong to Seungmin came out of the phone. To Changbin it was a familiar one and he could immediately tell it was Wonpil, which was why his head immediately turned towards the phone and therefore out of Hyunjin’s hold. </p><p>“For the ones, who don’t know me I’m Wonpil, Seungmin’s oldest brother”, Wonpil introduced himself and without taking a breath he continued. </p><p>“Zendala broke into the mansion by taking advantage of my boyfriend, who wanted to check on us, because we weren’t responding to anything, because of the sudden death of Byungho’s mother Eve. Zendala tricked Dowoon into showing her the secret path and used him as a shield. Her goal was to take Seungmin, Byungho and me with her but her plan was interrupted by Woosu and his mother Athea entering the room and since Athea knew Zendala and even wanted to call her by her real name Zendala killed her”, Wonpil explained without taking one break. </p><p>“Following this Seungmin and Byungho talked to our father about Athea and her connection with Zendala. According to him, Zendala and Athea were friends because they worked as feeders for vampires, which led to Seungmin figuring out that there may be a connection to a certain Ro Kanho. As for now we need to find Ro Kanho and figure out what he could know about Zendala”, Wonpil finished his explanation and finally took a minute to breath. </p><p>“Wasn’t so hard was it?”, he said more to himself than Changbin and the others. Unlike Seungmin Wonpil summed everything up and explained the most important points. Seungmin on the other hand had probably tried to bypass some things, figuring out while talking how hard that was and ended up silent when he realized he couldn’t leave out anything. At least that was what Changbin thought. </p><p>The vampire slowly looked towards Jisung. After all, Ro Kanho was his uncle and sadly Jisung’s uncle being someone, who recommended feeders to rich vampires, was something that would explain why the incident with Jisung getting bitten happened.</p><p>The warlock with the blue hair was still wrapped up in a hug from Minho and looked blankly at the phone in the middle of their sitting circle. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, because even when Minho laid his head on the smaller male’s shoulder and quietly called his name he didn’t react at all. </p><p>Suddenly, Chan took the phone into his had talking directly into it. “Seungmin are you still there?”, he asked. There was a short silence and a bit of rustling before you could hear the redhead’s voice again. </p><p>“I am”, he answered in a rather quiet voice. “Seungmin. You don’t ever need to hide stuff like that from us. I know you wanted to protect us in some way, but we are a team and you, as well as Byungho, have the symbol to prove it”, the wolf hybrid said in a strong voice. In Changbin’s opinion he did sound like a rather experienced leader, but his eyes told the vampire a different story. They reflected the hybrid’s empathy and showed how he felt sad.</p><p>“That aside I’m sorry for your loss and ... and that I couldn’t you help you”, Chan added in a much softer voice. Changbin had always known that Chan was a very empathetic person and this underlined this even more. </p><p>“You couldn’t have changed anything, Channie”, Byungho answered to the surprise of everyone, since nobody was even sure Byungho was there. Chan seemed to be just as surprised but a kind of relief washed over him very quickly, since Byungho sounded like he was fine. </p><p>“Still, I should have noticed”, the wolf hybrid responded not losing his soft tone. Changbin felt like the wolf hybrid was referring to them being mates and that was why he thought he should have noticed but it was too vaguely formulated to say that for sure. </p><p>“Let’s focus on the task at hand”, Byungho reminded with a warm voice. Changbin couldn’t help but imagine the older smile warmly. “Alright”, Chan agreed and looked over to Jisung. </p><p>“What do you think, Jisung?”, he asked the warlock. Jisung raised his gaze and looked at Chan. Changbin was unable to read the younger’s eyes but whatever he thought about he seemed to have come to a conclusion. </p><p>“Let’s tell Taeyong about this and then track down my uncle”, the blue-haired male answered, sounding determined.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0063"><h2>63. I know ... I know</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin and Hyunjin spend the night in the grotto room in order to relax and the Kim brothers return to the NCT headquarter.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin was just staring at the dark ceiling of the room he shared with his mother and Jeongin. He couldn’t fall asleep even though it was already very late. Jeongin and Ms. Hwang fell asleep hours ago, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about what happened earlier. </p><p>Chan, Changbin and Jisung had told Taeyong and the others about what Seungmin found out. According to the three, Taeyong had told them to get some sleep and that they would take care of it tomorrow but part of Hyunjin told him he was missing something. </p><p>It frustrated him to be this clueless. He just had this feeling that something wasn’t entirely right. Sure, he didn’t believe that Chan, Changbin or Jisung were lying to him but he had missed something his gut feeling told him was important but maybe that was just worry. </p><p>Worry about the members of his group, worry about him not participating in the rescue mission and therefore not helping his friends. He was especially worried about Seungmin, Changbin, Jisung and Byungho. All of them had behaved somehow strangely. Seungmin, who seemingly tried to avoid telling them the truth, Changbin, whose eyes had turned red again just some hour ago, Jisung, who obviously was disturbed by the fact his uncle may have connections to Zendala and Byungho, who was even more quiet than usual and seemed unnaturally calm for someone, who had recently lost his mother. </p><p>The longer he thought about this the more he felt suffocated by the air in the room. He threw the covers off himself and quickly and quietly walked out of the room. Taking deep breaths, he tried to sort his thoughts. </p><p>“Just make a mental list”, he told himself. His mother once told him that when he felt like everything was gettin to much he should make himself a mental list. The top spot belonged to the thing he thought was the most important and from there he should sort everything that was on his mind. </p><p>Hyunjin tried to do that, but he kind of failed since he felt like all of his friends were equally important. Frustrated with that, he sighed and decided to clear his head by walking around for a bit. To his surprise, when he turned on one corner he saw a familiar figure. </p><p>“Changbin-hyung?”, Hyunjin questioned as soon as he spotted the black-haired vampire. Changbin turned around facing the siren with surprise written all over his face. “Why are you still up?”, Hyunjin asked the slightly older male, tilting his head to the side. </p><p>“I could ask you the same thing”, the vampire replied. Well, he had a right for that question but somehow Hyunjin was glad he was here. The siren sighed again when he walked closer to the vampire. </p><p>“I couldn’t sleep”, the taller of the two admitted and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Changbin showed a little, sympathetic smile, which made Hyunjin noticed that the vampire’s eyes had their normal dark color with only a little trace of red in them. </p><p>“I couldn’t sleep either”, the vampire sighed. “I will probably be scolded to death when my vampire hyungs find that out and Chan-hyung will probably join them on that”, the vampire lightly joked. Hyunjin chuckled, picturing the scene in his mind for a short moment but then he was reminded of the fact, that his mother wouldn’t be thrilled if she knew he was walking around at night either. </p><p>“I can imagining my mum getting irritated too”, the siren added with a little smile on his lips. The smile came almost natural and the siren was once again amazed by the fact how easily Changbin could distract him and make him smile. It made him remember how happy Changbin had seemed when Hyunjin hugged him as a greeting for the first time back when they still went to Miroh High. At the time they had just begun to become friends. It almost felt like it was an eternity ago. </p><p>“Do you want to go to the grotto?”, Changbin asked Hyunjin, gaining the siren’s action again. Just hearing “grotto” made the siren smile widely. He would love to go to the grotto. “The best idea you had so far”, the siren answered cheekily to tease the vampire. Changbin huffed, acting like he was offended by that but made it obvious that h was joking. </p><p>The two walked to the grotto in a comfortable silence. The corridors of the NCT headquarter were absolutely silent and seemed almost empty, even though Hyunjin reminded himself that he had never seen them packed with people either. The siren also noted that the lights were dimmed a bit but not turned off, probably to prevent any accidents caused by not being able to see. </p><p>When the door of the grotto came into view Hyunjin became a bit faster and opened door quicker than lightning. The first thing he did when he stepped into the cool room was taking in a long breath. The air of the grotto just seemed calming to Hyunjin but the thing that would make the siren feel better in an instant was something else.</p><p>Almost automatically did the siren’s eyes fall onto the clear surface of the pool. The water seemed to almost call Hyunjin, coax him to just leap into the fresh, cool water and enjoy the almost soundless world underneath the water’s surface.</p><p>“Hyunjin?”, Changbin calling his name ripped the siren out of his trance and made him look towards the vampire. “What are you thinking about?”, the older male asked, when he walked up to Hyunjin, so he could properly see what the other was looking at. He seemed mildly worried but Hyunjin couldn’t blame him for that. He probably was a bit too excited for someone, who should have been in dreamland hours ago. </p><p>“Honestly I just want to go swimming”, the siren admitted, looking back at the ever moving but somehow still surface of the water. Hyunjin took some steps towards the pool until he was standing on the pool’s edge. The water swapped over the edge in a calming rhythm, touching the siren’s bare feet lightly every time. </p><p>“What keeps you from going swimming?”, Changbin asked rather dumbfounded. The siren laugh lightly and turned his head to look at the confused expression of the vampire. Wasn’t it obvious why he couldn’t just jump in? He was in his pajamas. </p><p>“I’m wearing a pajama and no swimming trousers”, Hyunjin laughed and gestured to his cloths. “My fins would screed my top into pieces when I transform”, the siren added, thinking about his siren form. His pants would be fine for the most part since he could just roll them up a bit to not hurt the fins on his lower legs. The fin on his back, on the other hand, could surely rip his shirt or get caught in the fabric, which wasn’t good either. </p><p>“Well, you could take your top off”, Changbin suggested while looking up to the ceiling of the grotto. Hyunjin was ripped out of his thoughts by the vampire’s voice. It took him a long second to understand what Changbin said, which made him chuckle, because the older but shorter male now refused to look at him. Did the vampire just get shy? Sadly, the siren couldn’t tell if the other was blushing due the dim, cold lights in the room, but maybe he could make it more visible. </p><p>“Well, if you insist”, Hyunjin teased the other and slipped out of the white shirt he was wearing as a pajama. Changbin seemingly wanted to say something when he looked back at the siren but was interrupted when he noticed the other was shirtless. </p><p>“By all the good gods. You really took your shirt off”, the vampire commented while once again avoiding to look at Hyunjin. The siren only laughed at that, especially because he noticed the light shade of pink on the vampire’s ears. So, he really did make Changbin shy and blush. </p><p>Hyunjin wanted to smile and be happy about that, but he knew better than anyone that Changbin had a crush on Seungmin and it surely wasn’t one sided. Knowing this, the siren silently cursed his ability to see things like that instantly. After all, Hyunjin hadn’t only developed feelings for Changbin but for Seungmin too. It wasn’t unusual for a siren to do this, since they tend to have multiple crushes at the same time but Hyunjin was unlucky enough to have a crush on two friends of his, who liked each other and he didn’t want to get into the way of that. </p><p>Just being reminded of this made Hyunjin just throw his shirt to the side and jump into the coolness of the water. Being engulfed by this almost soundless, calming world let him forget everything for a precious moment. </p><p>With his eyes closed, Hyunjin could feel his fins slowly forming on his back, legs and arms as well as feel his shiny scales appear on his skin. His lungs connected themselves with his gils, which became visible on the sides of his neck and let the restricting feeling in his throat disappear in an instant. </p><p>When the siren reopened his eyes he was met with the dark but clear bottom of the pool, which was covered in smooth stones. Hyunjin turned around, so he could look up to Changbin. The vampire got probably a bit scared when he jumped into the water out of nowhere. </p><p>Hyunjin sucked in a bit of the clear water and let his gils be filled by it. To Hyunjin, having the cool water run through his gils was calming and made him focus on the important things, which in this case weren’t the feelings he had for Changbin and Seungmin. </p><p>With that done he swam up to the surface effortlessly, poking his head out of the water to show Changbin he was fine. </p><p>“Did I scare you, hyung?”, Hyunjin asked while he swam back to the edge of the pool, so Changbin could hear him better. The vampire shook his head as an answer, even though he clearly had been surprised enough to walk closer towards the edge of the pool. </p><p>“I was just surprised you jumped in so suddenly”, the vampire admitted, while taking off his socks and once again avoiding eye contact with Hyunjin. The siren noticed that but didn’t think about it any further. </p><p>“Sorry about that”, Hyunjin apologized and laid his arms over the edge of the pool, so he could rest his head on top of them comfortably. Changbin just shook his head and bent down to pull the lower parts of his pants up. </p><p>“Don’t be sorry if being in the water calms you down. You should go for a swim whenever you feel like it”, the vampire answered and sat down beside Hyunjin, letting his bare feet tangle in the water. Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile a tiny bit. He got to know Changbin as this dark, intimidating vampire and now he was just a huge softie, and in the siren’s opinion also a cutie. </p><p>“What are you smiling about?”, Changbin huffed, glancing at Hyunjin before looking over the water again. Why did Changbin avoid looking at him that much? Didn’t he like his siren form? Did he think it was strange? Hyunjin mentally shooed this thoughts away in an instant. Changbin was too nice and too smart to think bad of his siren form. </p><p>“I just thought about how you acted so tough when I first met you”, the siren answered honestly. Changbin scrunched up his nose a little. The vampire probably tried to look displeased but he just looked adorable in the siren’s opinion. </p><p>“Who said I was acting like I’m tough”, Changbin argued but he kind of used a rather pouty voice, which made him sound like a child. Hyunjin chuckled at that and once again noticed Changbin only glancing at him. </p><p>There was a short period of silence between them. Only the sound of the tiny waves, which reached over the edge of the pool was audible along with the dripping sound of the wet stones on the ceiling. </p><p>The silence was calming but Hyunjin was still a little bit irritated by the fact Changbin didn’t look at him at all. He couldn’t explain why it annoyed him that much but it did and he couldn’t take it any longer. </p><p>“Hyung?”, Hyunjin spoke up. Changbin replied with a simple “Hm?” but his focus remained on the water and not the siren beside him. “Why won’t you look at me?”, the taller of the two asked in a straightforward manner. </p><p>Being a bit surprised by that question Changbin automatically turned his head and looked into the siren’s eyes. There was a silence when the vampire’s dark orbs with the red glimmer in them met Hyunjin’s shiny, ocean blue eyes with the playful glint. </p><p>Hyunjin always knew Changbin’s eyes seemed to be deeper than they actually were, but right now he was just lost on this pool of darkness with only a little red light to guide you. They sparked the siren’s curiosity and made him want to take a closer look. </p><p>Subconsciously, the siren heaved his upper body out of the water just to see what caused him to get so curious. He knew Changbin’s eyes were able to turn from their usual dark brown, almost black color to a scarlet red but this little red glimmer was always there. It seemed kind and warm just like the vampire himself. </p><p>Suddenly, Hyunjin noticed how close he had gotten to Changbin and backed off in an instant, which also caused him to dive back into the water because he wasn’t moving his feet. While being underwater the siren slapped both of his cheeks, adding more red to them. </p><p>What was he doing? He couldn’t just get that close to Changbin! The vampire had a crush on Seungmin! Hyunjin couldn’t just interfere in that. By the gods, what if he subconsciously used his siren charms on the vampire when he told him to look him into the eyes? What if the other had been forced to look at him without the siren realizing?</p><p>“Stop being so stupid Hyunjin! There is more important stuff to think about!”, Hyunjin reminded himself and slowly swam back to the surface to face a very red Changbin. The siren cursed at himself for doing that to the vampire. </p><p>“I’m sorry about that”, Hyunjin mumbled to himself, gaining Changbin’s attention, who had seemingly been in a trance. The vampire lightly shook his head and looked to the siren. The smaller male’s eyes were full of surprise and a little bit of panic as well as something Hyunjin couldn’t put his finger on. </p><p>“Don’t be sorry I wasn’t any better”, the vampire laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Hyunjin slapped himself mentally. He made the situation awkward, very awkward. He really did have to ruin it, hadn’t he? Hyunjin dunked half of his face back into the water, so he could hide a bit from the vampire. Without even noticing he also avoided looking into the other’s eyes. </p><p>“Hey, Hyunjin”, Changbin called his name to get back the siren’s eyes back on him. Only timidly did the siren look back to him. The vampire smirked a bit when their eyes met. </p><p>“Why won’t you look at me?”, the vampire repeated the exact question from Hyunjin but in a very different tone since he wore a little teasing grin on his lips while asking. Hyunjin huffed as a response, creating some bubbles but even if he wanted to he couldn’t hide the smile on his lips. </p><p>———————————</p><p>Seungmin was standing in the entrance hall of the Kims mansion. After he had talked with his group about the things that had happened at the Kim mansion and told them the information he found out through his father yesterday, he had called Changbin once again after the vampire, Chan and Jisung had talked to Taeyong. </p><p>Changbin had told NCT’s leader as well as Chan, his own group leader, about the book of vampires since only Jisung, Taeil, his vampire hyungs and Seungmin had known about it being in Changbin’s possession. The uncrowned vampire king had explained to them what it could do but also pointed out it’s current limits, because he was still unable to use it’s full potential. </p><p>Seungmin had called the vampire to talk to him about the old vampire artifact and Changbin caught him up on everything regarding this particular book, which made the redhead change his plans a bit. Over call, they tried to figure out how to unlock the book but didn’t get very far, which was why Seungmin had promised he would get to the NCT headquarter to help Changbin as soon as possible. </p><p>The redhead planned on keeping that promise, but for that he once again had to ask his father for help. Even though, Seungmin wasn’t fond of the idea of relying on Lucifer, the devil had said he would help if he was asked. Despite being the devil, who was seen as the evilest being in existence, Lucifer was a man of his word.</p><p>Wonpil and Dowoon would come with Seungmin, even if Lilith disliked that, since Dowoon had some explaining to do after his fellow group members were told by Wonpil what had gone down at the Kim mansion. Wonpil had called their group members after the vampire had woken up on the previous evening. Even though, Seungmin only heard the last part of the phone call Wonpil and Dowoon had with Jae, Younghyun and Sungjin, because while they had talked Seungmin and Byungho had searched for Lucifer, it must have involved a lot of yelling. At least the redhead had guessed that by the part he had heard.</p><p>Of course, Byungho was tagging along too, not because the brunette said so by himself but, because Seungmin more or less made him do it by using Chan as the main argument. It was a very low blow but it served it’s purpose. </p><p>While impatiently tapping his foot, Seungmin waited for Byungho and Lucifer to show up. He asked himself what took them so long but he would never say that out loud, at least not in the current situation. The redhead huffed and turned his phone’s display on, looking at the time. Only two minutes have pasted since he did that the last time. </p><p>“Don’t stress so much”, Wonpil tried to calm his younger brother for the fifth time. The older demon as well as Dowoon waited together with Seungmin but they were much calmer than the redhead. Dowoon had given up on trying to tell Seungmin to relax a bit but Wonpil hadn’t, at least not yet.</p><p>Suddenly hearing footsteps, made Seungmin look up from his phone in an instant. Both Lucifer and Byungho appeared on the stairs at the same time and the young demon knew why they took so long when he noticed that Byungho’s wings were hidden again. Lucifer had probably hidden them under a strong spell, since Byungho still wasn’t in the right mind space to cover them up himself. </p><p>Seungmin’s horns and devil’s tail had hidden themselves over night when he was focusing on how to get the book of vampires to unlock itself while Byungho’s wings had stayed visible. It was a bit of a new experience to lay down next to someone with such large wings but it wasn’t a unpleasant one. Byungho’s wings could serve as a warm, feathery blanket, after all. </p><p>“On time as always, little demon”, Lucifer mused while he walked up to Seungmin with his signature smile adoring his face. Even though Lucifer had been a great help the last few hours, Seungmin still had the urge to step away when he saw his father’s signature smile. It was almost a reflex at this point. </p><p>“Is everyone ready to go?”, Lucifer asked looking around to meet Wonpil’s and Dowoon’s eyes too. Both older males nodded as an answer. Lucifer’s smile widened a bit before he simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers. In less than a heartbeat, did the whole groups get teleported into the lobby of the NCT headquarter. This was probably the fastest teleportation Seungmin, Dowoon, Wonpil and Byungho had ever witnessed. </p><p>“Have fun and don’t stay too long. I will teleport the mansion after the three of you have returned safe and sound, so please do return home together or just call me, so I can pick you up”, Lucifer stated and it was one of the very rare occasions where he sounded like a very regular father, despite him being the devil, which wasn’t obvious for now, because Lucifer too had hidden his devil’s tail and horns. When had he done that? Seungmin didn’t know but didn’t really care either. He had more important things to do. </p><p>“We will let know”, Seungmin simply replied to his father. He took Byungho’s hand, so he could drag his brother to the headquarter’s true entrance. In the corner of his eye did the young redhead see his father’s smile again before he disappeared into thin air as well as Wonpil and Dowoon following him. </p><p>Entering the NCT headquarter was something the Kim brothers got very much used to, and Seungmin couldn’t decide whenever that was bad or not. The magical door appeared and opened itself because it seemingly knew them good enough to trust them to enter the headquarter without the supervision of an NCT member or someone, who had already been inside. </p><p>Seungmin had always marveled at the many genius magical aspects of the headquarter when he entered but today his thoughts were too occupied for that. While dragging Byungho up the stairs, he took out his phone and dialed Changbin’s number. They had agreed on meeting up after all. It didn’t take long for the vampire to pick up. </p><p>“You were fast”, was the first thing the vampire commented with a little bit of humor in his tone. Seungmin lightly rolled his eyes and let an amused huff escape him.</p><p>“I was desperate enough to ask my father for help, so yeah. But not the topic now. Where are you and how much time do we have until the big meeting starts?”, Seungmin asked, purposely switching the topic rather quickly to avoid questions he didn’t know how to answer. For example, why Changbin never met Seungmin’s father or something along the lines of that. </p><p>“Currently, I’m in a little meeting room at the end of the hallway on the right side on the third floor. Taeil told me to work here if I needed some peace and quiet for it”, Changbin replied. Seungmin nodded even though Changbin couldn’t see that. </p><p>“I will be there in a minute”, the redhead ended the call and pocketed his phone. “Seems like you got everything planned out”, Wonpil commented while chuckling a bit. “I did plan it to not waste time. Where will you two be heading?”, the younger redhead asked, looking over his shoulder to his oldest brother.</p><p>“Day6’s room”, Wonpil answered with a little smile on his face. Dowoon on the other hand looked like he wanted the ground to shallow him. Since he woke up he had felt guilty, even though Wonpil had reassured him that the incident with Zendala wasn’t his fault. He had been tricked, after all. </p><p>“Alright let’s meet in the lobby around 8pm to get home together”, Seungmin quickly threw into the room (or staircase if we wanted to be specific) before he made a turn and entered the third floor, parting ways with Wonpil and Dowoon. </p><p>Byungho was still with the young redhead, since he had let Seungmin drag him along quietly until now. The redhead seemed to have almost forgot that he was still holding the other’s hand in a firm grip, therefore kindly forcing him to follow. Seungmin slowed down a bit and loosened his grip on Byungho’s wrist. </p><p>“Do you want to go and find Chan-hyung? We could ask Changbin-hyung where he is?”, Seungmin asked, while turning around to face his brother. Byungho lightly shook his head as an answer, even though Seungmin could see in his eyes that he did want to see the wolf hybrid. Did Byungho not allow himself to see Chan for some reason?</p><p>“I think it would be good for the both of you if you talked to each other. You are mates after all”, Seungmin argues softly, using a more soothing voice than before. The redhead knew the effect Chan and Byungho had on each other ever since he got to know Chan better. The two just were a perfect fit in his eyes, which was also why he believed that Chan could help Byungho a lot just by being by his side. </p><p>“I don’t think I can face him right now”, Byungho sighed, avoiding to look into Seungmin’s eyes. The redhead let a breath escape him. He understood that for the most part and decided to not pressure his older brother any further. </p><p>“Just promise me you will talk to him. It would help you. Both of you”, Seungmin rephrased his previous statement and continued walking, gently pulling his older brother along. </p><p>“I know... I know”, Byungho mumbled more to himself than Seungmin.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0064"><h2>64. Unlocked</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin and Changbin manage to unlock the book of Vampires, Changbin meets some old friends and Byungho meets Chan again.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin let out a little sigh after Seungmin hung up his phone. He was glad that he could finally work with the redhead on the book of vampires, since the redhead seemed to understand it the most, maybe even better than Changbin and he was supposed to be a sort of key to it.</p><p>The young, uncrowned vampire king looked down onto the cover of the ancient artifact. Subconsciously, he laid his hand onto it and began tracing the many symbols engraved into the golden front. He sighed again and then looked to the other person in the room. </p><p>Hyunjin was peacefully sleeping on the couch, which was pushed against the east wall of the room. The couch was a bit too small for him but he slept in a curled up position, so he needed a bit less space anyway. Somehow the siren managed to look almost small, even though he was the tallest member of Stray Kids. </p><p>After Changbin and Hyunjin had visited the grotto Hyunjin had decided to stay with Changbin, despite the vampire’s plans to work on unlocking the book of vampires. Changbin let Hyunjin in on the secret of the old vampire artifact simply because he knew he could trust Hyunjin with his life, so why not with the book of vampires?</p><p>Changbin heard a knock on the door, which made him realized that he had been staring at Hyunjin for a bit too long. He quickly shook his head and adjusted his posture before he said “Come in” as professional as he could.</p><p>The door was opened by no one other than Kim Seungmin, who was dragging Byungho along. Changbin couldn’t help but let a light, soft smile creep onto his lips when he saw the two Kim brothers. They seemed to be alright. </p><p>“Stop smiling so stupidly, idiot”, Seungmin said bluntly, raising an eyebrow. Changbin could have laughed but instead he crossed his arms over his chest and acted like he was offended. </p><p>“That’s how you greet your friends? I’m hurt”, Changbin huffed. Seungmin lightly rolled his eyes but then he smiled a little too. This was probably the moment where Changbin’s heart did a little jump but he tried to ignore it by shifting his gaze onto Byungho. </p><p>The older male looked calm and collected but when Changbin learned one thing from the high rank vampires he knew from his early childhood, it was detecting when someone was feigning calmness. </p><p>Before Changbin could say something, a rustling reminded the three of the fourth person in the room. Hyunjin had sat up and tiredly rubbed his eyes before he looked over to his three friends. The instant he saw Byungho and Seungmin he was up on his feet. </p><p>“Seungminie, Byungho-hyung”, the siren called out before hugging the two Kim brothers without a second thought. “I’m so glad you are really unharmed”, the siren mumbled while holding them a bit tighter. </p><p>“We are fine. Don’t worry, Hyunjin”, Byungho reassured the siren and patted the taller’s back lightly. Changbin noticed a bit of an emotionless undertone in Byungho’s voice, which was odd for the brunette but it was probably just the grief he felt because of the loss of his mother. </p><p>Hyunjin let the two brothers go and sniffled a bit. “It’s really good to have you back”, he then said, showing his beautiful smile. Seungmin huffed playfully and smirked a bit. “Don’t get so sentimental, we’re here now and we’re fine”, the redhead stated. Hyunjin nodded and let his smile widen a bit. </p><p>Changbin’s heart did a jump again and he almost smiled like an idiot but he managed to suppress that by clearing his throat. With that he unintentionally gained the attention of the other three males. Fast thinking was asked now. </p><p>“Seungmin and I should start working before the meeting in the main hall with everyone starts”, the vampire smoothly said, avoiding to look like an idiot. Seungmin eyed him for a short second and then his dark orbs lit up with an idea. Changbin wasn’t sure if that was good or not. </p><p>“In the meantime, Hyunjin could catch Byungho up with the things that he missed”, the redhead said, smiling at the siren. Changbin didn’t know how but seemingly Hyunjin and Seungmin had a silent conversation, which lead to the siren agreeing with a grin and then dragging Byungho out of the room. Byungho looked at Seungmin like he had been betrayed, but the redhead didn’t seem to mind and just kept on smiling like the little devil he was. </p><p>Speaking of the devil, this was one of the moments were Changbin was hit with the realization that Seungmin of all people could very well be the prince of hell. After all, the young demon had to be from royal blood if he was able to read the book of vampires. The old artifact had never been wrong about that. On the other hand, Changbin had no idea what Seungmin’s family life was truly like, nor did he know if Seungmin’s family just happened to be a long lost branch of an almost extinct royal house. The vampire only knew bits and pieces about the young demon’s family from Wonpil but he never managed to secure a whole view on the Kim family or the Kim brother’s family tree. They were truly a mystery. </p><p>“Planet earth to Changbin-hyung”, Seungmin teased waving his hand in front of Changbin’s face. The vampire blinked in surprise and focused on the redhead in front of him. A smile made the corners of Seungmin’s lips curl up, making Changbin’s heart do another jump. </p><p>“Let’s start working, shall we? We are losing precious time here”, the redhead said and walked up to the table where Changbin stood, looking down at the book of vampires. Changbin was still kinda stunned. Kim Seungmin really was truly one of a kind. </p><p>“I already know what you have tried so far but what haven’t you tried?”, Seungmin questioned without taking his eyes off the artifact in front of him. Changbin mentally collected himself and thought of things he hadn’t tried yet. Nothing came to mind. </p><p>“I have no clue anymore. I feel like I have tried everything”, Changbin sighed and rubbed his temple. He felt a headache coming. Seungmin scratched his nose as he continued to take in every little detail of the book. His dark orbs scanned over the cover so attentively Changbin really had to question himself what was going on in Seungmin’s head. </p><p>“We know that you are supposed to be some sort of key but the book doesn’t recognize you as someone special when you use it, so there has to be a way of making that clear for it”, Seungmin thought out loud. Changbin looked at him in surprise. He never thought of it that way since he was stuck on the idea that he had to do something to make it unlock. </p><p>“You have never tried cutting your finger and then touching it, have you?”, the redhead asked looking at the vampire. Changbin slowly shook his head. He never had even considered it, because he thought it was too unusual for a vampire to do that, but maybe that was the reason for it all along. </p><p>“Let’s try it”, Changbin stated. He raised his hand and wanted to let his fangs sink into his pointer finger but Seungmin stopped him by grabbing his hand almost clumsily. The vampire looked at the redhead with a little bit of a confused frown. Wasn’t this the plan? Seungmin just looked generally worried but there was something else in that dark orbs of the young demon that Changbin’s couldn’t name. </p><p>“Don’t just bite into your hand and especially not your pointer finger, idiot”, the redhead mumbled and gently put the vampire’s hand down. Changbin’s heart did another jump when he felt Seungmin’s warm palms wrapped around his right hand. Both Seungmin and Hyunjin seemed to be able to let Changbin’s heart do that little jump very easily. </p><p>When Changbin noticed that maybe he was looking at the redhead a bit too long, he immediately turned his head and automatically pulled his hand out of Seungmin’s grip. He felt his face burning up but he tried very hard to not blush or let Seungmin know that he was flustered. </p><p>“It’s easier to just bite into my finger than to search for a knife”, Changbin argued, trying to sound convincing. He avoided looking at Seungmin to keep himself in check. And maybe to avoid admitting his crush. Same thing he did with Hyunjin yesterday night. </p><p>“To the gods I am so screwed”, it echoed in Changbin’s head. He had a crush on Hyunjin and Seungmin. It was a late but much needed realization. </p><p>“Bite into your pinky. It’s the finger you need the least”, Seungmin suggested with a sigh. A part of Changbin wanted to tease the redhead because the thing with the blood was his idea, because it was obvious that Seungmin didn’t want Changbin to hurt himself. The other part of Changbin wanted to hug the redhead  and give him a reassuring kiss. </p><p>“Wait, WAIT. Why would I randomly kiss Seungmin? By everything good focus, Changbin. FOCUS”, the vampire mentally told himself. </p><p>“Alright”, Changbin said out loud, as calmly as he could. Before Seungmin could change his mind the vampire quickly bit into his pinky to make himself bleed. When he could taste the saltiness of his own blood he let go immediately and laid his hand on top of the book of vampires. The dark, almost black blood dripped down from Changbin’s finger onto the cover of the artifact. It filled some of the small symbols that were engraved into it but nothing happened. </p><p>“It’s not working”, Changbin sighed and wanted to retract his hand to nurse his little wound but Seungmin shook his head. The redhead laid his hand on top of Changbin’s wordlessly. The vampire felt how Seungmin let a bit of magic sicker through his hand. It felt surprisingly warm and pleasant. </p><p>Suddenly, the book of vampires began to glow in a strangely dark light. Seungmin took his and Changbin’s hand back when the book started to float. The artifact slowly changed from its golden and red color scheme into a much darker one. The cover seemed to be dunked into black paint and all the details and engravings became silver. </p><p>“Kim Seungmin you are an unparalleled genius”, Changbin mumbled without him really noticing until he felt a light pressure on his hand. He looked down to his hand to notice that his finger were intertwined with Seungmin’s. Almost like it was an automatic reaction did he look up to the redhead, who was already looking at him with the gentlest smile Changbin has ever seen on him. </p><p>Changbin’s heart was bumping against his rib cage and he could have kissed Seungmin right there, but before he could move an inch forward there was a knock on the door and the two jumped away from each other like they had been burned. This time, Changbin was sure Seungmin could see him blush, but when he glanced at the redhead he saw that Seungmin wasn’t any better. His face had the color of his red hair, but before Changbin could think about the fact that he was the one who made Kim Seungmin blush he remembered the knock on the door. He quickly straightened his posture, took a deep breath and internally prayed for no red color on his face. </p><p>“Whose there?”, Changbin asked just to be sure it was no one, who had no clue about the book of vampires. </p><p>“Xiao Dejun. Taeyong-hyung told me to come and get you Changbin”, a familiar voice on the other side of the door answered. Changbin looked over to Seungmin, who gave him a little nod. They had a silent agreement that Seungmin would wait here and observe the book of vampires until Changbin returned. </p><p>“I’m coming”, Changbin answered and left the room shortly after that. He closed the door behind him while Xiaojun showed Changbin a polite little smile before the vampire speed off. Changbin followed close behind him. </p><p>To Changbin’s surprise did Xiaojun not lead him towards Taeyong’s office but a rather hidden room on the end of a corridor on the first floor. There was nothing truly suspicious there since it looked like basically every other place in the NCT headquarter but Changbin couldn’t help but get a weird feeling. </p><p>“Why are we here?”, Changbin questioned, not fully trusting his current situation. “You should see for yourself”, Xiaojun replied, knocking on the door. The two vampires waited until you could hear a “Come in” from Taeyong, who seemingly was on the other side of the door. </p><p>Xiaojun opened the door but made room, so Changbin could walk in first. The uncrowned vampire king looked into the room only to be met with not only Taeyong but three familiar faces. Changbin felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs when he slowly stepped into the room, while not taking his eyes of the newcomers, afraid that they would disappear again. </p><p>“It’s been a while, Binnie”, the smallest male of the three newcomers said while smiling lightly.  Changbin still felt like he was dreaming or hallucinating. After all the failed attempts to find them, it just felt unreal to have them here but there was no denying that Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun stood right in front of him. </p><p>“I thought I would never see you again”, Changbin mumbled more to himself than the others. “You underestimate us”, Chanyeol stated, grinning lightly. Changbin looked at the tall male, whose cheerful personality he had always liked since it was a strong contrast to the almost emotionless staff he grew up with. </p><p>“Come here, Binnie”, Baekhyun coaxed, opening his arms a little bit. Changbin reacted to that almost immediately and ran over to the older vampire to hug him. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Changbin and gently patted his head while the young, uncrowned vampire king tried to not let his emotions get the better of him. There was no reason to cry at a reunion. </p><p>“We’re sorry, Binnie. For not doing our duty as guards”, Baekhyun muttered while continuing to pat Changbin’s head gently. The younger vampire lightly shook his head, telling the other without saying a word that he didn’t blame them at all. </p><p>“It’s not your fault”, Changbin began, slowly letting go of Baekhyun. He straightened his back and looked to Chanyeol, Sehun and Taeyong. He really had to work on keeping a proper posture for the future. As for now Changbin had news for the older males, which would be important to Taeyong. Changbin focused on the guardian with the red hair before starting to speak. </p><p>“Seungmin and I unlocked the book of vampires full potential, so we can track down Ro Kanho and finally get some information about Zendala”, the vampire said. Taeyong gave him a little nod and even though he guardian seemed tired he showed a little smile.  </p><p>It was really amazing how Changbin was slowly able to switch from being the young adult he was supposed to be to someone who would soon lead a whole species of supernatural beings. </p><p>——————————</p><p>When Byungho was dragged out of the little meeting room by Hyunjin he felt kind of betrayed by Seungmin even though he shouldn’t be since Hyunjin was the one, who would lead him to the rest of Stray Kids and therefore Chan. </p><p>Byungho couldn’t properly explain why he didn’t want to face Chan, maybe because he feared his emotions would get the better of him and he would expose his wings even though his father, the devil, covered them up. </p><p>Talking about Lucifer, Byungho had the feeling his father did more than just cover his wings, because he felt kind of empty, like he couldn’t feel anything. If Byungho was honest, it was a better feeling than the suffocating sensation of grief. Maybe, it was just a side effect of covering his wings. His emotions were connected to that after all. </p><p>“Hyung are you and Seungmin really okay?”, Hyunjin asking that brought Byungho back to the present. He looked at the siren, who glanced back at him worriedly. Byungho forced a smile onto his lips. </p><p>“We’re fine. Don’t worry, Hyunjin”, he answered, trying to sound convincing. Hyunjin still looked at him worriedly and slowed his pace until the two of them stood still. </p><p>“Hyung, I’m somehow not sure if that is true. I’m good at detecting lies most of the time. I grew up with a kitsune, after all, but despite that I’m seemingly unable to notice if you and Seungmin are lying or not. I can never be sure if you mean what you say or not, which isn’t a problem normally, but right now I’m afraid that you two just pretend to be fine to not worry anyone”, the siren explained, looking at Byungho with nothing more than concern in his eyes. </p><p>It made Byungho feel guilt claw at his rib cage, but what good would it do if he told everyone that he was constantly on the verge of breaking down, because his mother died protecting him? What use would it have when he told all of his friends that it mentally tortured him to see the current state of his family?</p><p>Hyunjin continued to look at him with pure worry being evident in his eyes and Byungho didn’t know what to say anymore. Should he really just continue to pretend to be fine or say the truth despite it being useless to everyone around him?</p><p>“Trust me and trust Seungmin on this. We can handle ourselves”, the brunette answered, telling not really a lie but not the whole truth either. Hyunjin gave Byungho a little nod and continued to drag the other along. </p><p>A part of Byungho hoped no one else would be as attentive as Hyunjin but the other part already knew that Chan would probably see right through him. The wolf hybrid knew him well, after all. </p><p>“I swear at one point I will chain him to his bed”, Jisung’s voice echoed through the corridor, making Hyunjin flinch a little. Byungho was a bit confused by that. Who did Jisung want to chain to his bed and why did Hyunjin flinch?</p><p>Before those questions could be answered Jisung stomped around the corner, followed by Minho. The warlock with the blue hair’s eyes went wide when he saw Hyunjin and Byungho. The surprise was written all over his face. Minho, on the other hand, seemed pretty surprised too but he didn’t show it as much as Jisung. Soon enough a kind of relief washed over their faces. </p><p>“It’s good to see you, hyung”, Jisung said with a cute, wide, gummy smile while he jogged towards the two. “Yeah, it’s really good to see that you are good but I’m a little bit concerned that Hyunjin is wearing no socks or shoes”, Minho chimed in, raising an eyebrow while eyeing the siren for a short moment. Minho wasn’t wrong, Hyunjin did run around barefooted. Also his cloths looked like a pajama. </p><p>“I didn’t have time to change”, the siren awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Jisung looked puzzled at the taller male until he seemingly figured out what was going on. </p><p>“You accompanied Changbin-hyung the whole night didn’t you?”, the warlock asked, narrowing his eyes at the siren. Hyunjin continued to sheepishly rubbed his neck, avoiding to look Jisung into the eyes while laughing nervously. Nevertheless Jisung started nagging about Changbin’s and Hyunjin’s not healthy sleeping schedule while Minho just nodded along probably not really listening. </p><p>Byungho was only slowing catching on with what must have happened last night that got Jisung into “Concerned about your health” mode but more importantly seeing his friends like that made him realized just how lucky he was to have them. They all cared deeply for each other and that included him. Maybe he really should just tell them everything. </p><p>“Minho? Jisung? Have you found Hyunjin and Changbin?”, Byungho heard Chan ask from some distance, making the brunette’s heart speed up with both nervousness and anticipation. Jisung stopped nagging and turned around. </p><p>“We found Hyunjin and Byungho-hyung”, the warlock answered loudly. In the almost same second Chan came into view, immediately making eye contact with Byungho. Seeing the dark, worried but also relieved and warm orbs of the wolf hybrid, made Byungho realize he wouldn’t be able to play pretend for long. Not if Chan was continuing to look at him like that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0065"><h2>65. Reveal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chan and Byungho have a little moment and Changbin and Seungmin discover who Zendala really is.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chan couldn’t properly explain it but when he saw Byungho standing there beside Hyunjin, he felt a lot of emotions swirling around in his heart. He was relieved to see the brunette again but also worried because he knew something was up. Despite that he had this warm feeling in his chest when he meet the dark eyes of the brunette. </p><p>Sadly, before Chan could properly greet his mate Jeongin and Felix ran past him and tackled Byungho into a hug. The brunette seemed to be taken a bit off guard when the two younger males hugged him without warning but Chan saw a small, warm smile tugging at the other’s lips. </p><p>“We missed you, hyung”, Felix mumbled, barely audible. Nevertheless, Chan heard it thanks to his good ears. The ginger cat hybrid hugged Byungho a bit tighter after saying that. Jeongin stayed silent, but he clearly showed how worried he was about the wellbeing of his hyung by the way he hugged him close. </p><p>“I missed you too”, Byungho lightly huffed and patted Felix’s and Jeongin’s backs. Chan immediately picked something up when he heard Byungho talk. Despite the small smile on the brunette’s lips, his voice sounded less warm, less emotional. The rest of the group probably missed it, because it was so subtle to the point Chan, who had known Byungho for years, barely picked up on it. It worried Chan a lot because Byungho’s voice had never sounded like that before. </p><p>The wolf hybrid hadn’t realized how he had spaced out until Minho nudged him with his elbow and brought him back to the present. Chan blinked at the cat hybrid in light confusion and didn’t say a word but Minho seemingly understood what was up anyway. </p><p>“Talk to him alone. I’m taking care of the rest”, Minho suggested, using a rather low voice, so the rest couldn’t hear him so well. Chan gave Minho a little nod and mumbled a “Thank you”. He was glad to have Minho around in that moment.  </p><p>“Alright we found Hyunjin. Now, we just need to find our dear vampire friend”, Minho stated, putting his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. Jeongin and Felix let go of Byungho and turned around to look at Minho, who was obviously trying to take the lead. </p><p>“Oh, we shouldn’t disturb him right now”, Hyunjin chimed in, which earned him some weird looks. One person in particular didn’t care. That person was Han Jisung, the one who, made it his mission to get Changbin to sleep. </p><p>“I don’t care about that. I’m gonna drag him to bed if that is necessary”, Jisung exclaimed and started walking. Hyunjin opened his mouth again to say something but he was stopped when Jeongin grabbed his wrist. </p><p>“Auntie was stressed when she saw that your bed was empty this morning, so you will have to explain yourself to her if you want to live”, Jeongin said, not sounding like he was joking. Hyunjin gulped at that. </p><p>Using the moment where everyone was distracted, Chan walked up to Byungho, took his hand and silently lead him down the corridor, away from their group members. </p><p>Chan was grateful to Minho for giving him the opportunity to talk to Byungho alone, because his gut feeling told him that Byungho would be more ready to talk if it was just the two of them. </p><p>Byungho let Chan lead him, without questioning it at all. The wolf hybrid could feel the familiar warmth from his mate’s hand, which made him feel better and stronger in general. He hoped Byungho felt the same effect and that it somehow cheered him up just a little bit. </p><p>When Chan was certain they were somewhere out of everyone’s ear shot he slowed down and made a turn that led them into an open, small common room where they halted. The wolf hybrid turned around to look at his mate but the brunette had his gaze focused onto the ground, seemingly not wanting to make eye contact again. </p><p>“Byungho?”, Chan gently called the other’s name while giving his hand a light squeeze to make sure Byungho knew he was there. The brunette still refused to look up but Chan felt how he held his hand just a bit tighter. </p><p>“I’m here if you want to talk, you know?”, the wolf hybrid reminded the other, still using a very gentle voice. Chan looked at Byungho trying to read him even without looking into his eyes. It was strange because for the first time since he got to know the older male, he seemed small and a little bit broken. It let the wolf hybrid’s heart ached. </p><p>“I know that I can talk to you, Channie b-but I’m- “, Byungho started but he cut himself off, seemingly not being able to end his sentence. A part of Chan told him that Byungho wanted to say “But I’m fine” even though that was obviously a lie. </p><p>“You don’t have to pretend that you’re fine if you aren’t. It’s okay to grief. No one expects you to be fine after losing someone important to you”, Chan reassured the other, carefully laying his free hand onto the other’s shoulder. Byungho trembled a little, it was barely noticeable for Chan even through the hand on the brunette’s shoulder. </p><p>“I know that”, Byungho mumbled barely audible for someone with normal hearing. Chan felt how Byungho’s trembling became a bit stronger, so the wolf hybrid pulled the a little bit taller male towards him and wrapped his left arms properly around him while his right hand still held tightly onto Byungho’s left hand. </p><p>“I’m here”, was all Chan said before Byungho started to silently cry, clinging onto the wolf hybrid like he was a lifeline. Chan just held Byungho close and didn’t even flinch a tiny bit when a pair of gigantic black wings slowly became visible. They seemed to have been hidden by a spell, which wore off in the form of golden glitter raining to the ground. </p><p>Chan recognized the majestic black wings from the time he had been saved in the battle of the moon pack. He had never talked with Byungho about it, since at first he had thought he had kind of dreamt it, but now he knew he hadn’t. </p><p>Byungho didn’t seem to know Chan was able to see his black wings but the wolf hybrid didn’t care either way. He just held his boyfriend while he cried. Chan’s heart hurt seeing Byungho like that but a part of him knew seeing him cry was better than seeing him playing pretend. </p><p>—————————</p><p>When Changbin stood before the unlocked book of vampires, he had the feeling an entirely new world laid before him. The black cover with the silver details, which was surrounded by an mysterious aura was just indescribable. </p><p>Changbin glanced at Seungmin, who gave him a little nod, before he opened the book of vampires and loudly saying “Ro Kanho”. The book flipped through it’s own pages until it reached a page where “Ro Kanho” was written over two whole pages, probably more. </p><p>“Ro Kanho, uncle to Han Jisung, warlock, lives in Yellow Wood”, Changbin added to be more specific. The list of the name “Ro Kanho” narrowed down to one name. The book immediately opened a profile for this Ro Kanho with the most important information. It even showed a kind of drawing of him in color. </p><p>Changbin had never seen Ro Kanho in person and now he was a little bit glad for that. Judging by the drawing of the warlock, he was quite untidy. His beard was untended, his green hair could well be a bird’s nest and his green eyes were blank and entirely uninteresting. </p><p>“Yeah that’s him”, Seungmin confirmed. Changbin once again glanced at the redhead, seeing how his nose was scrunched up in light disgust. It was obvious, that Seungmin really didn’t like Ro Kanho, but nobody could blame him for that, especially not Changbin. Seungmin walked up to the uncrown vampire king while his dark eyes were skipping over the information that was shown on the profile like he was already searching for something. </p><p>Changbin looked over his shoulder back to Taeyong and the three royal guards. All four looked pretty stunned, even though three of them were vampires, who should be familiar with the old vampiric artifact, but Changbin knew they couldn’t see what he and Seungmin did. </p><p>“For clarification. Only creatures with royal blood can read the book of vampires, which is able to provide a lot of information about any creature now that it is unlocked”, Taeyong summarized what Changbin had told him yesterday. Changbin nodded. </p><p>“Yeah. As far as I can tell unlocking the book of vampires also made more information accessible for me”, Changbin answered and looked back to the old artifact and Seungmin, who was seemingly stuck on one particular part of Ro Kanho’s profile. It was a new part as far as Changbin knew, because he couldn’t remember that the book of vampires had shown a section for a person’s relationship before it was unlocked. </p><p>Changbin followed Seungmin’s gaze. The redhead was almost staring at the name “Han Rin”, which was described as Ro Kanho’s “ex sister-in-law”. The vampire couldn’t fully understand what was so important about Han Rin. Was she related to Jisung? Did Seungmin know her?</p><p>“Hyung, please search for Han Rin”, Seungmin almost whispered. His voice sounded like he was lost in some awful suspicions or like he had just realized something terrible. Something was differently up with Han Rin and Changbin didn’t like it at all. </p><p>Changbin almost didn’t hear Baekhyun asking what was wrong before he loudly said “Han Rin, ex sister-in-law of Ro Kanho, uncle of Han Jisung”. The old artifact skipped through his own pages again but the profile of Ro Kanho remained floating in the air. </p><p>The book stopped at one pages and only showed the name Han Rin. It let a profile appear and a colored drawing, which showed a woman in a hood with long dark blue hair and sky blue eyes. Changbin got a bit taken off guard by the way she looked like Jisung. </p><p>“Hyung”, Seungmin choked out and at the same time grabbed the other’s arm. Changbin looked at the redhead in an instant and noticed how the redhead seemed like he had seen a ghost. With his free hand did Seungmin point at the relationship section of Han Rin’s wanted poster. </p><p>There were many names but three in particular made Changbin freeze in an instant. Kim Athea was noted down as a long time friend to Han Rin that had passed away recently, Ro Kanho was described as her ex brother-in-law and Han Jisung was noted down as her son. </p><p>“What did you find? What’s wrong?”, Baekhyun asked again and walked a towards the two shaken teenagers. </p><p>Changbin ripped himself out of the little trance he had fallen into and skipped over the whole profile of Han Rin. Every little information they had about Zendala seemed to be written there in every little detail but he had to be sure. </p><p>“Taeyong-ssi. Do we know how Zendala looks like?”, he questioned, trying to have a stable voice. He looked over his shoulder to the guardian with the red, who nodded. </p><p>“We do”, he answered and walked up to Changbin and raised his hand, projecting an image into the air from a woman, wearing a cloak. She had long dark blue hair and a small, seemingly fragile frame but her sky blue eyes glimmered with a vicious kind of arrogance and her smirk seemed malicious. </p><p>Changbin looked at the image and then back to the drawing next to the profile of Han Rin. It was the same person. The exact same person. </p><p>“Han Rin is Zendala’s real name and she is Jisung’s mother”, Changbin mumbled almost to himself. </p><p>—————————</p><p>“I swear to god we are losing more members of our group than we are finding. The meeting starts soon and we are now missing our leader. What a great way to start the day”, Jisung complaint while walking besides Minho. </p><p>“At least we found Hyunjin and I’m sure Chan-hyung and Byungho-hyung just needed time for themselves”, Felix chimed in, trying to defend Chan and Byungho. Jisung looked at the ginger with an blank expression on his face, which made Felix just smile brightly at the warlock to mock him a bit.</p><p>“Seems like I’m the only one, who considers today’s meeting to be important”, Jisung grumbled mostly to himself, making the Lee brothers lightly chuckle. The three continued to search for Changbin, the one Jisung began to describe as a disobedient, little blood sucker. </p><p>“I swear I will give him the silent treatment for a week”, Jisung mumbled to himself when they walked up the stairs to the third floor of the headquarter. Just listening to him complain about Changbin to himself seemed to be the best entertainment in a long time for the two Lee brothers, who had a really hard time to not laugh at the blue-haired warlock. </p><p>When they reached the third floor and walked down the main corridor they were soon met with a group of people. Three of them were familiar and the other three seemed like they had a rather rough journey. </p><p>When Jisung spotted Changbin and Seungmin he wanted to straight up tell the short vampire a piece of his mind and then hug his best friend, but when he saw their expressions he stopped dead in his tracks. Both looked like they had seen a ghost. Without thinking too much Jisung ran towards them, followed by the equally worried Lee brothers.  </p><p>“What happened?”, Jisung asked, looking at Taeyong for a second before his focus was back on his two friends. Both Seungmin and Changbin looked hesitated and seemingly didn’t know what to say, which wasn’t a good sign. </p><p>“Tell them”, Taeyong said but not to Jisung or the Lee brothers, no he was talking to Seungmin and Changbin. “We will fill you in what was said at the meeting when it’s finished, so take your time”, the guardian added and showed Changbin and Seungmin a reassuring smile before he walked away with the three unknown males, who at first seemed a bit hesitant to leave. They mostly glanced at Changbin and only followed Taeyong when the young vampire nodded. </p><p>Jisung couldn’t understand anything that was happening right now and it drove him crazy. What had happened that Seungmin and Changbin seemed like they had just discovered something terrible? What did they need to tell them?</p><p>“Let’s go back inside”, Changbin suggested and without waiting for anyone to reply he turned and walked back to the room he was probably in beforehand. Seungmin followed close after him. Felix looked confused and worried but didn’t hesitate to follow his two friends while Jisung had to grab Minho’s hand before he could even think about that. </p><p>Minho gave his hand a light squeeze to let him know that he was right there beside him. Jisung glanced at his boyfriend for a short second before took a breath, collected his thoughts and courage and followed Changbin and Seungmin. The two lead Felix, Jisung and Minho into a little meeting room. </p><p>There wasn’t much in this room beside a couch on the east wall, a table, some chairs and a bookshelf. Changbin was standing near one of the bookshelves and took out a big, ancient book with a black cover and silver details. Jisung felt like that book should be familiar to him but he couldn’t really say why. </p><p>“Jisung, you should sit down”, Changbin said when he laid the book down onto the table. His whole posture told the warlock that whatever they should tell him it wasn’t something good, so he did what Changbin had suggested and took a seat at the table without even thinking of letting go Minho’s hand. Minho sat down on the chair next to him, not letting go of his hand while Felix stayed behind his brother, which was something he did very often when he was scared or felt uneasy. </p><p>Seungmin stood next to Changbin, who occasionally looked to Jisung with a kind of empathy in his eyes, which made the warlock fear what they would say to him. Still, he couldn’t figure out what it was. He couldn’t even take a good guess. </p><p>“This is the book of vampires”, Changbin began and tapped onto the book that laid before him on the table. “Before my mother was ... was murdered she told me in an ancient vampiric language that I’m a sort of key to this book, that I was able to unlock its full potential”, Changbin explained a bit hesitant. The vampire took a breath before continuing, which reminded Jisung of the fact the shorter male only recently lost his parents. </p><p>“Today, with Seungmin’s help, I managed to unlock the book and we immediately tried to find information on Jisung’s uncle, Ro Kanho, because Seungmin suspected he could have connection to Zendala”, Changbin continued but Jisung couldn’t fully understand why the vampire repeated this piece of information. Maybe it was for clarification for the Lee brothers? </p><p>No matter what the reason was when Changbin’s gaze met Jisung’s, the warlock saw pity and sympathy in the vampire’s eyes. It was like he was sorry for Jisung, but why? Changbin had stopped talking all together when he looked at Jisung and now seemed unable to continue at all, which made Seungmin step up.  </p><p>“Ro Kanho did have a connection to Zendala. To be precise Zendala is his ex sister-in-law”, Seungmin continued instead of Changbin, which made Jisung focus on his best friend. The redhead placed a hand on Changbin’s shoulder for a brief moment before fully focusing on the rest of the group, but his dark eyes lingered on Jisung longer than on the others. </p><p>“Zendala’s birth name his Han Rin. She used to be a feeder for vampires along with Kim Athea, who she seemingly considered to be a long time friend, but mostly importantly...”, the redhead paused for a short second to focus just on Jisung, letting a nervous shiver run down the warlock’s spine. </p><p>“... She is your mother, Jisung”, Seungmin finished the sentence. Jisung looked at the redhead with a blank expression. For a minute the warlock had the feeling he couldn’t understand the language Seungmin was speaking. There was no way Zendala, the evil murderous warlock, was his mother, right?</p><p>“That’s impossible”, Jisung mumbled mostly to himself. The warlock had only one memory of his mother and that was when she left him and never came back, but she couldn’t be Zendala, could she? She couldn’t be that malicious being which worked with the hunters to kill every supernatural creature there was on this earth. It was just impossible or was it?</p><p>“Hannie”, Jisung heard Minho call his nickname beside him. Almost automatically did the warlock with the dark blue hair let his head snap to his boyfriend, whose worried gaze was enough to make him calm down a little. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute. He thought about his friends, about Stray Kids, about Minho. Maybe Zendala was his biological mother but she wasn’t his family or in any way relevant to him. He grew up without a mother and he surely wouldn’t start associating himself with someone like her.  </p><p>When Jisung reopened his eyes he was met with four worried gazes. Felix, Minho, Seungmin and Changbin were all concerned about him because they cared deeply for him. He was sure that Han Rin or Zendala would never feel that way for him. Never in his entire life. </p><p>“Don’t worry I’m fine now”, Jisung reassured his friends and let especially Minho know that by intertwining their fingers. Somehow he wanted to press a kiss onto the back of Minho’s hand but he quickly dismissed the thought and instead focused on Seungmin and Changbin. The two looked at each other for a brief moment and Jisung was sure they had a sort of silent conversation because they seemed unsure at first but then quickly relaxed. </p><p>“Are you sure?”, Seungmin asked and walked over to the warlock. The redhead’s dark orbs still  showed a bit of concern and worry but he seemed to believe in the warlock’s word. Jisung gave his best friend a little nod and showed a bit of a smile. </p><p>Jisung knew the only family he needed was the one he found in his friends, in Stray Kids. It didn’t matter, who was related to him by blood as long as he had his friends and Minho around. </p><p>“It doesn’t matter who my mother is, it also doesn’t matter who my father is. I have a family that cares for me and that’s all I need”, Jisung answered, still smiling. Seungmin blinked at him with light surprise and seemed a bit taken back by that statement but it soon faded into a smile. </p><p>“So what are we doing now?”, Changbin asked, focusing his gaze on Jisung. The warlock with the blue hair looked at the vampire, who had joined Seungmin’s side once more. It was nice of him to ask, but the plan that was slowly forming in his head wouldn’t be liked by him. </p><p>“Well, the question is how can we use that information against Zendala”, the blue-haired warlock suggested.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0066"><h2>66. Warmth and scent</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chan and Byungho talk to each other and Jeongin goes after a strange but somehow familiar scent.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After a while of just being cradled by Chan, Byungho slowly calmed down. He still felt a kind of throbbing pain in his chest and a restricting feeling on his neck from crying, but it was slowly fading. The brunette couldn’t feel the numbness from before anymore, which at first seemed like a relief, but then he remembered what had been linked to this numbness. </p><p>Only a barely noticeable movement was required for Byungho to check if his wings were indeed visible. He could feel their weigh on his back, which made him internally panic, because if they were physically there for him Chan was able to see them. </p><p>“Byungho? What’s wrong?”, Chan asked in a soft tone. The wolf hybrid had noticed Byungho’s panic and seemed to be wondering why, even though the answer almost surrounded him. </p><p>Byungho didn’t answer because he was still trying to find the right words to explain why he had gigantic black wings, that were hidden underneath a spell. When Chan wanted to gently pat his hair to calm him, the brunette involuntary flinched and automatically backed off. The gigantic, black wings, which had previously surrounded Chan and Byungho, now folded themselves behind the brunette’s back, taking on their smallest, visible form. </p><p>Byungho tried to calm his beating heart and rapid breathing. He tried to convince himself that he was okay even though he clearly wasn’t. His wings shouldn’t be visible. He should have stayed far away from Chan. He knew this would happen! Why didn’t he just stay away? He could have easily stopped Hyunjin from dragging him to the rest of Stray Kids, to Chan. He could have prevented all of that if he had taken one small opportunity to just say no. He ...</p><p>“Byungho!”, he heard Chan’s voice piercing through his many thoughts. He looked up from the ground he had been mindlessly staring at and was met with Chan, who had gotten a little closer to him again. </p><p>“Calm down, Byungho. It’s okay”, Chan tried to reassure the older male in a soft voice. Byungho looked at Chan, whose warm, dark brown orbs didn’t express things like shock, betrayal or fear. They were just gentle, soft and understanding as well as filled with concern and empathy. </p><p>“It’s okay”, Chan repeated again, slowly making another step towards Byungho. The brunette just looked at his boyfriend for a minute before looking back to the ground. Did Chan even see his wings? Why wasn’t he even a little shocked? How could he be so calm while facing something he had never seen before, something even the angels up in heaven hated with all their heart? </p><p>“Byungho?”, Chan called his name again in his soft voice. Almost automatically did Byungho look up again. He was face to face with Chan, who slowly reached forward to take Byungho’s hand again, intertwining their fingers. </p><p>“It’s okay”, he repeated once more and only now did Byungho truly understand what he meant with that. He meant that he was okay with everything, Byungho not being a warlock like he had said for years and that he hid what he really was from him for such a long time. </p><p>Byungho felt how his eyes got watery again. He was such an idiot for not trusting Chan from the beginning. He was Chan after all, one of the people that just accepted you for who you were and always supported you no matter what. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Channie”, the brunette barely managed to say. Chan showed the other a soft smile and shook his head before he gently laid his free hand onto Byungho’s cheek, gently wiping away the traces of the brunette’s tears. The warmth of the wolf hybrid’s hand on his cheek comforted Byungho more than he had thought, but it was the understanding and empathetic glimmer in the dark orbs of his boyfriend that made him feel truly okay for the moment. </p><p>“There’s nothing to be sorry for”, Chan softly said and put their foreheads together, closing his eyes. Byungho did the same and just let himself be fully comforted by Chan’s presence and words. Maybe it was the mate bond they shared or something different but a comfortable warmth began flowing through Byungho’s body that gave him a certain strength. A strength he didn’t know he had in him. </p><p>When he slowly opened his eyes again to see his boyfriend and once again looked into Chan’s dark brown orbs he was sure that he loved the wolf hybrid with every inch of his body. He would protect Chan with all his might and at all costs, because there was no way he could live without him anymore. </p><p>“Thanks, Channie”, the brunette mumbled. Chan lightly shook his head without disconnecting their foreheads. “There is nothing to thank me for either. I’m here for you Byungho no matter what.”, Chan answered in a rather quiet but still soft voice. </p><p>Byungho couldn’t help but lightly smile at that. Chan really was one of a kind. He just wished he could have introduced Chan to his mother. They would have surely liked each other a lot due their similarities in personality, but another part of Byungho really wanted to tell his mother just how much he loved the wolf hybrid and how much he treasured him. But there was another person, who should know that first. </p><p>“I love you, Channie”, Byungho mumbled without really thinking about it. When he saw the surprise in the wolf hybrid’s eyes he feared he had made a mistake for a short moment but when the surprised glimmer in the other’s eyes was replaced by affection he knew there was nothing to regret. </p><p>“I love you too”, Chan answered before he closed the little gap between them and kissed Byungho. The brunette was taken a bit off guard but he almost instantly kissed back. The warmth that spreed through Byungho’s body previously, came back the moment his lips touched Chan’s. It swirled around in every cell but Byungho could feel that the center of the warmth was in his chest, where his heart was beating steadily. </p><p>When they pulled away from each other to catch a breath, Chan looked a bit surprised when he looked at Byungho. It made the brunette a bit anxious again because he had no clue why Chan was surprised now.  </p><p>“What’s wrong?”, he asked and tried to see what Chan was looking at but he couldn’t see anything special. </p><p>“Your wings, they are .... they are gone again”, Chan answered, like he couldn’t really understand how that worked even though he must have seen them appear too. Byungho chuckled lightly at his boyfriend’s cluelessness when his anxiety was replaced by warmth. </p><p>“They can do that through a spell”, Byungho explained, moving his shoulders a bit to see if they were properly hidden. He looked back at Chan, who seemed to have transformed into a curious little child with his eyes shining like little stars.  </p><p>“That’s pretty amazing if you are asking me”, the wolf hybrid commented, making Byungho lightly chuckle. Chan somehow managed to take a bit for the negative view Byungho had on his wings away with just that simple action. </p><p>“Can you make them appear again? Only if you want of course”, Chan carefully asked, seemingly trying to not pressure the brunette. Byungho looked at Chan and saw no reason why he should say no. The wolf hybrid just seemed curious and fascinated but a part of Byungho was just glad they were hidden again, so he was a bit conflicted, which didn’t go unnoticed by Chan. </p><p>“It’s okay if you want them hidden. It’s your choice”, the wolf hybrid reassured the brunette. Byungho let out a breath and mumbled a small “Thanks” without really noticing. Chan once again shook his head with a smile. </p><p>“There is still nothing to thank me for”, the wolf hybrid said, raising their hands, which were still intertwined and pressed a small kiss onto the back of Byungho’s hand. Byungho could just internally say over and over again that he really loved Chan with all his heart, which was why Byungho also thought the wolf hybrid should know the truth about him. </p><p>“Channie I want to introduce you to my family and tell you everything about me but I ... I’m not sure-“, Byungho began explaining, feeling like a part of him just wanted to stay silent, to just say nothing and leave it the way it was. He wanted to force himself to continue because there was no logical reason for him to stay silent anymore but Chan interrupted him with a small kiss on the lips, which baffled the brunette, rendering him speechless. </p><p>“Don’t force yourself. I can wait for the moment when you are really ready to tell me”, the wolf hybrid smiled and it just made Byungho’s heart melt in an instant. Despite knowing real angels the only true ones in Byungho’s mind were his mother and Chan, because they were kind and understanding like the angel which were featured in the bed time stories parents told their children before they went to sleep. </p><p>The brunette just breathed out a “Okay” and just pulled the wolf hybrid completely into him, wrapping his arm around his waist. “Let’s just stay like that a while longer”, Byungho mumbled, not wanting to let go of his boyfriend. Chan hummed as response and just relaxed, leaning onto Byungho a little bit, so there was no space left between them. </p><p>It was the moment where Byungho had the feeling he was holding a big part of his world in his arms and for a short second he felt a very familiar warmth beside him. The feeling reminded him of his mother, but knew no one was standing right beside him, smiling at him. Even though he knew that he couldn’t help but let a content little smile crawl onto his lips. </p><p>He will be okay.  </p><p>—————————</p><p>“Hyung I think we have been ditched”, Jeongin muttered to Hyunjin when he walked beside his cousin towards the big hall where the meeting would be held. Hyunjin, who had been scolded by his mother a few minutes ago, looked at his cousin with a bit of confusion in his eyes. </p><p>“Why ditched?”, the siren asked in a quiet voice, so he wouldn’t alert his mother, who was walking in front of the two teenagers. Jeongin rolled his eyes at that. His cousin sure was clueless sometimes. </p><p>“Minho-hyung, Felix-hyung and Jisung-hyung left us to search for Changbin-hyung, Chan-hyung, Byungho-hyung and probably also Seungmin but they haven’t shown up yet”, the blond explained but Hyunjin just squinted at him. The siren didn’t seem convinced nor was Jeongin sure the other understood his point. Hyunjin wasn’t the best at processing information when he was tired. </p><p>“We aren’t sitting with them, so maybe they are already in the hall or just somewhere else”, the siren tried to defend the rest of their friends, but Jeongin only scoffed. The kitsune was pretty sure they were the only ones from Stray Kids, who would attend the meeting with all the other groups and they weren’t even participating in the rescue mission. </p><p>Suddenly, Jeongin picked up a faint but fresh trace of a familiar but unpleasant scent, which made him stop walking and look around, searching for the owner of the scent. Hyunjin seemed confused by Jeongin’s sudden change in behavior and also stopped walking. </p><p>“What’s wrong, Jeongin?”, the siren asked worriedly. Jeongin didn’t look at him and continued to search for the person, whose scent he had picked up while he also tried to remember why he knew it. It was such an unpleasant one, it should be easy to recognize. Then it hit him why the scent was familiar, he had smelled it on Jisung occasionally but it wasn’t the warlock’s scent. </p><p>“Cover for me”, the kitsune simply said to Hyunjin before sprinting off. He heard that his cousin complained but the siren didn’t follow him, so he will probably do what his younger cousin said. Jeongin ran down the corridor and tried his best to pick up the scent again to trace it, but it seemed to be gone. </p><p>Jeongin let out a frustrated huff and wanted to run back to his aunt and Hyunjin when he noticed the faint trace of the unpleasant scent again. Like a bloodhound, he followed it to the staircase. When he was walking down the stairs, he lost the scent again. </p><p>“What’s up with this scent?”, Jeongin wondered silently to himself while looking around again. He opened his mouth slightly in hopes of being able to pick up the scent more easily. The kitsune mustered every inch of the staircase in hopes of finding a sort of clue. When he looked up to the stairs that lead to the next upper floor he picked up a small trace of the scent again. </p><p>Without thinking too much, he walked the stairs back up and followed his nose until the scent disappeared again. Jeongin looked around again, trying to make sense of this confusing situation until he remembered something. The stairs were enchanted. </p><p>“Oh that’s clever”, Jeongin thought to himself and took a step back again. The scent reappear again like the person had suddenly disappeared when they reached a certain spot on the stairs. It was the most obvious clue for a teleportation spell you could get. </p><p>“Walking up to get down. It’s almost genius”, the kitsune chuckled to himself and searched for the spot where the spell should be visible for a trained eyes. When he couldn’t find it he just transformed into his kitsune form. His eyes became a bright orange and his fluffy fox ears and tail became visible. </p><p>Jeongin searched for the spot again and finally found it. He walked towards it and reached out his hand. He could feel a teleportation spell along with a lot of other spells pulsing underneath his palm. Yuta really put a lot of work into these spells, which was why Jeongin had no intentions to damage them in any way. No, he would trick them. </p><p>When the young kitsune was sure he had understood every aspect of the teleportation spell and everything connected to it he retracted his hand and stepped back a bit. The teleportation spell was coupled with a recognition spell, so not everyone could just enter wherever this spell led but there was a kind of emergency mechanism hidden in it, so the only thing Jeongin needed to do was trick the spell system into recognizing a emergency situation. </p><p>The young fox spirit grinned a bit and started to create an illusion, but not a simple one; oh no a kitsune-level illusion. In the illusion he created multiple people which the spell system should be able to recognize for a brief moment before realizing it was a trick. That little moment should be enough for Jeongin to get teleported to the location where he could continue to follow the person with the unpleasant scent. </p><p>“I love it when spells like that can be tricked with a little illusion”, Jeongin thought to himself while he continued to set up the illusion. He let the people in his illusion seem panicked and made them run around, trying to escape a nearing threat. The spell system reacted to the illusion for a brief moment. </p><p>Jeongin leaped forward and got teleported just a second before the spell system realized it had been tricked and made the illusion disappear but the young kitsune had reached his goal. He stood on the stairs which lead down to the basement floors of the NCT headquarter. </p><p>The scent was strong here, which meant Jeongin was on the right track. Staying in his kitsune form, the blond follow the scent. He walked down the corridors and noticed that there were a lot of unfamiliar spells casted over the basement floor’s walls. The doors seemed to be a lot stronger than the ones he knew from the headquarter too. It was almost like those doors were meant to hold people captive. </p><p>“So, you want to lock me up without reason? Is that it? You can’t do that even with your high status”, Jeongin suddenly heard a man’s voice. The kitsune tried to walk even more softly, so he wouldn’t make a sound while his fox ears twitched around while trying to listen carefully. </p><p>“At one point you will be locked up trust me. But for now we just need to know some information from you”, the young kitsune heard the familiar voice of Johnny answer. It confused him a bit if he was honest. Why would Johnny talk to someone who probably knew Jisung? Was the warlock with the blue hair in some sort of trouble? </p><p>Jeongin continued to sneak forward until he reached a corner. He carefully peeked around the corner to see who Johnny was talking to without being noticed. The kitsune spotted Johnny along with two other males. Both other males were smaller than Johnny but the man with the messy green hair, who stared at Johnny like he was his archenemy was the one with the unpleasant scent. The other male Jeongin had never seen in the headquarter before, but he stood beside Johnny like they were on the same side. He was a bit smaller in both height and stature than the harpy next to him. His hair was dark brown, almost black while his eyes had the calming color blue. </p><p>The kitsune quietly sucked in some air through his nose to maybe get a clue on what the male beside Johnny was. Jeongin scrunched up his whole face when the unpleasant scent of the man with the green hair filled his nostril but luckily it mixed a bit with Johnny’s and the one of the unfamiliar male. The blond boy could smell a bit of vampire in the scent mix, which was probably the species the male with the dark brown, almost black hair belong to, since the man with the green hair was obviously a warlock. </p><p>“What should I know about that interests people like you?”, the man with the green hair from spat.  Jeongin hadn’t spend much time looking at the man, which made him even more disgusted when he took note of the way the warlock looked like he hadn’t showered in a while, which matched his scent. His green beard was untended and as far as Jeongin could tell he also had yellow teeth. Jeongin involuntarily scrunched up his nose again and slowly got an idea who this man was. He could very well be Jisung’s uncle, which would explain why Jisung used to have a bit of his scent on him when he still lived with him. </p><p>“We should talk about that in private. For your own sake”, Johnny said in a very neutral tone. The tall male with the brown hair seemed mildly irritated but he kept himself together. The man with the green hair only snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly not wanting to cooperate. It was a wonder he was at the headquarter in the first place. </p><p>“Like hell I will walk into that room. I have been dragged here against my will by a bunch of vampires and now you want me to do what you want? That ain’t gonna happen”, the man scoffed and Jeongin saw that Johnny was slowly losing his patience. The harpy’s brows twitched with mild irritation and Jeongin asked himself if the warlock with the green hair was aware of the fact, that harpies were really dangerous when they were angry. </p><p>“Alright then just spit out what-“, Johnny wanted to start questioning the man, but the vampire beside him kept him from it by a seemingly simple gesture Jeongin couldn’t make out from his point of view. </p><p>It was like Jeongin only blinked and the vampire was gone and next thing he knew someone behind him casually asked: “What are you doing here, kid?”. Jeongin swirled around, facing the vampire, who stood beside Johnny not even a second ago. </p><p>“I was only- I totally didn’t-“, Jeongin tried to quickly explain himself but he had honestly no clue what to say for once, so he just stumbled over some random words that came into his mind. </p><p>“You shouldn’t be here, Jeongin”, Johnny said, looking over to Jeongin and the vampire. The young kitsune looked at the harpy and felt a bit of embarrassment heat up his face. He felt like a scolded child, which he kinda was right now. </p><p>“I know I shouldn’t be here. I just couldn’t help it when I picked up this strangely familiar scent”, Jeongin mumbled as an explanation. Johnny sighed and rubbed his temples, looking like he really had a lot of other things to worry about. Jeongin felt sorry for being so curious but he couldn’t help it. </p><p>“Seems like not even the great guardian groups have anything under control”, the man with the green hair scoffed, which made Jeongin want to punch him. Those great guardian groups he seemingly didn’t like were the ones that currently tried their uttermost best to save the supernatural world from a war. </p><p>“Hey Jeongin”, the kitsune heard the vampire beside him whisper. “We could use a little magical trickster help here”, he stated in a quiet voice and Jeongin didn’t even hesitate to agree to it with a nod. It would be his pleasure to trick this man, who he guessed to be Jisung’s uncle into revealing whatever Johnny and this vampire wanted to know from him. </p><p>The vampire casually walked back over to Johnny again and seemingly whispered his plan into the harpies ear. Johnny apparently didn’t like the vampire’s idea too much, judging by the way he sighed. </p><p>Jeongin focused on the warlock with the messy green hair and unpleasant scent. He was trying to hide his confusion. In all honesty, Jeongin had never seen a more badly hidden confusion than that one. </p><p>Jeongin walked over to the three older males and felt a bit small when he stood next to Johnny, but the vampire, who had asked him for help, was around the kitsune’s height so it wasn’t so bad. The man with the green hair looked at the kitsune with a little bit of fear in his eyes, which made Jeongin smile a bit devilish. He was scared of him, he could work with that.</p>
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<a name="section0067"><h2>67. Lies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jeongin helps Johnny and the male vampire to get Ro Kanho to talk and all of Stray Kids get told of Seungmin and Changbin‘s discovery.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jeongin had no clue why the man with the green hair and unpleasant scent, who he assumed was Jisung’s uncle, was here and what he was supposed to tell Johnny and the male vampire, but the moment the kitsune saw fear in the warlock’s eyes he didn’t really care what it was that he knew. He just wanted to let the man regret ever hurting Jisung. </p><p>“Do you want to cooperate now?”, Jeongin asked feigning innocence. He tilted his head to the side and looked at Ro Kanho with his bright orange eyes, forcing the warlock to once more realize that he was talking to a kitsune, a trickster. </p><p>“Why would I want to cooperate just because a kid joined the crew?”, the man scoffed in a almost mocking tone but he only glanced at Jeongin and then fixed his gaze onto Johnny and the male vampire. Johnny looked a little displeased with the whole situation and had his arms crossed over his chest but he said nothing. The male vampire on the other hand seemed to mentally encourage Jeongin by not reacting to the male warlock either. </p><p>Jeongin smiled a bit to himself. So they really will let him play and use his full powers, huh? He did quite enjoy that, since normally he had to hold himself back in order to now hurt anyone by accidentally tricking them. It was something especially important when he was with his friends, because the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt his friends and group members because he unintentionally tricked them into doing something they did’t like. </p><p>The kitsune fixated Ro Kanho with his gaze, once again seeing the warlock’s fear and nervousness he desperately tried to hide. “I think you are afraid of me, of what I obviously am”, Jeongin said slowly, looking directly into the eyes of the green-haired man. </p><p>Like expected this sparked more fear into male warlock and he looked away, basically admitting that Jeongin was right and that he was indeed afraid of the blond boy. Still, the warlock seemed to refuse to say anything and just stayed silent. </p><p>“Just cooperate, Kanho. We know enough to keep you here and you know that”, the male vampire suddenly spoke up. Jeongin mentally noted the name the vampire used to refer to the warlock. It was the conformation the kitsune had waited for. This man truly was Jisung’s terrible uncle.</p><p>Kanho looked at the vampire and then glanced at Jeongin. The young kitsune wanted to let that man face his greatest fears, but he also knew that he probably wouldn’t get the chance to do that.  Johnny would probably be the one keeping him from unleashing such a mighty illusion on the man.</p><p>“Alright, I will cooperate but send the kid away”, the warlock answered after a long pause. He looked a bit defeated but sounded rather serious. Jeongin balled his fist a little bit in mild irritation and wished for the opportunity to just cast a nasty spell over the warlock like he deserved.</p><p>“Thank you for your cooperation”, Jeongin heard the male vampire speak up beside him. He gave Jisung’s uncle a little nod and then turned to Jeongin. “Let’s go, Jeongin”, he simply said and the kitsune knew there was no place to argue, so he just obeyed even though he really wanted to stay. </p><p>The male vampire gently lead the young kitsune away while Johnny walked into one of the rooms with Jisung’s uncle. Jeongin scrunched up his nose in annoyance, how he wished he could have joined the interrogation of Ro Kanho. </p><p>“Thank you, Jeongin”, the vampire thanked the fox spirit while walking. Jeongin looked at the older male before looking straight ahead and slowly transforming back into his normal form. His fluffy fox ears and tail slowly faded and his orange eyes returned to their dark brown color. </p><p>The blond didn’t really understand why the vampire was thanking him. After all, he didn’t do much to his own displeasure. Ro Kanho was obviously afraid of kitsunes like a lot of people and cowardly enough to quickly take an offer, which would keep Jeongin away from him. </p><p>“I didn’t do much. He is obviously an egoistic coward, who is afraid of kitsunes and therefore would never dare facing one in such a situation”, Jeongin voiced his thoughts to the vampire with a rather neutral tone. He let his clenched fists ease up and let an disappointed sigh escape him, which he didn’t mind to cover. </p><p>“Ro Kanho wouldn’t have agreed to talk if it wasn’t for you, so I would call that a lot. Besides if he refuses to talk again I will just come and get you to join me and Johnny again”, the vampire chuckled, smiling in a friendly, warm way. Jeongin looked at the vampire and was a little bit reminded of his hyungs from Stray Kids, since the vampire seemed just as nice as they were. </p><p>“By the way I never introduced myself, did I? I’m Baekhyun”, the vampire introduced himself. For  a moment Jeongin wanted to introduce himself as well but then he realized that Baekhyun already knew his name. </p><p>“It’s nice to meet you”, Jeongin answered politely. Baekhyun showed the kitsune a friendly smile and continued leading him to the staircase. The kitsune mustered the vampire a bit and tried to read him. The older male seemed experienced and obviously was good at correct interpreting a situation, because it surely was no coincidence that he had asked Jeongin for help when Ro Kanho refused to talk. It was also very impressive that he had managed to reach his goal without having to tell Jeongin what it was all about. The more the kitsune thought about this the more he had the feeling it was him who had been tricked into helping Baekhyun. </p><p>“I must say it’s pretty impressive that you got down here without anyone really noticing. You must be quite the talented magic user and trickster”, Baekhyun complimented the young kitsune when they stood at the end of the stairs. Jeongin wanted to feel complimented, but a part of him urged him to be careful around the older male. The vampire was probably a lot more cunning than he let on. </p><p>“I wouldn’t say it’s that impressive. I just used what I knew”, the kitsune answered and tried to find something suspicious about Baekhyun, but there was nothing, not a single thing. Jeongin couldn’t detect one lie, one deception. Maybe he was just overreacting and he just felt threatened by Baekhyun, because he was used to get Ro Kanho to talk. </p><p>Baekhyun jus smiled a little again. “You should hurry back to the meeting before you miss something important”, the vampire advised, but Jeongin stayed put. He wanted to know what this was all about first. Why Ro Kanho was here and what he could possibly know that interested NCT. </p><p>“Before I go I want to know why that warlock was brought in”, the kitsune asked with a bit of a hidden demanding tone. Baekhyun was silent until he let out a breath. </p><p>“In all honest, it’s not my place to tell”, the vampire answered. Baekhyun’s stayed focused on the young kitsune but then trailed down to Jeongin’s hand, where his group symbol was, for a brief moment. </p><p>“As far as I was told that’s the group symbol of Stray Kids”, Baekhyun continued and looked back up to Jeongin. </p><p>“It is”, the kitsune confirmed without hesitation while his now dark eyes were fixed onto the older vampire. Baekhyun seemed to silently approve of the determination in the kitsune’s eyes. </p><p>“Changbin is part of that group, so I’m sure you will know what this is about in no time”, the vampire ended. He seemed calm and relaxed but his word were enough to let something in Jeongin’s stomach flip. What had happened when Changbin went away?</p><p>Without properly saying goodbye to Baekhyun, did Jeongin run up the stairs. He needed to get Hyunjin and then he was going to find the rest of his group no matter how long it would take him to drag all of them into the same room. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Hyunjin let his leg anxiously pounce up and down, while he sat on his seat next to his mother. He had no idea why Jeongin had run off, but he did what the blond had asked him to do; he had covered him by telling his mother Chan had needed Jeongin for something important. The siren felt bad for just lying to his mother, but he wouldn’t tell the truth if he said he had never done so in his entire life. In all honest, Hyunjin thought most of the time his mother just believed him, because he let a bit of his sirens powers slip or she just knew he was lying and let it pass for some reason. </p><p>In the ongoing meeting the leaders of the groups talked about a lot of important stuff, but Hyunjin had the feeling he heard basically nothing. He just sat on his seat worrying about his cousin and friends, because Jeongin had been right when he said that they have been ditched. Chan and Changbin weren’t up on the stage with the other leaders and the seats of Minho, Jisung and Felix were empty. Byungho and Seungmin were not in the hall either. </p><p>“Hyunjin you should pay attention”, Ms. Hwang quietly spoke up, startling Hyunjin. The siren’s head snapped towards his mother, but the woman remained unfazed by that and kept her gaze fixed onto the stage with the leaders. She was as composed as always, which somehow had a calming effect on Hyunjin. The young male reminded himself to focus.</p><p>“I’m sorry. I will pay attention now”, the siren quietly answered, following his mother’s gaze with his won. He was trying his best to get what the leader of MonstaX, Shownu, who was currently talking, said but Hyunjin had the feeling he couldn’t understand a word the tall man said. </p><p>Suddenly, Hyunjin heard someone call his name in a rather low voice. The siren glanced at his mother, who was attentively listening to what was said on stage, and then slowly looked around, trying to spot whoever called him until he saw Jeongin at the entrance of the hall. The blond was waving him over.</p><p>“Mum I have got to go, Chan send Jeongin to get me. Can you catch me up on what was said later?” the siren said to his mother. Ms. Hwang looked at her son and then followed his gaze, spotting Jeongin at the entrance. </p><p>“Alright but your group should attend the meeting next time. They are important and not held for nothing”, Ms. Hwang advised to which Hyunjin quickly nodded and then carefully made his way to the entrance of the hall to get to Jeongin. </p><p>“Come on. We have to find the others”, Jeongin urged and grabbed Hyunjin’s hand when the siren was in his reach. The kitsune didn’t seem stressed or scared to most people, but Hyunjin knew instantly that something was up. Whatever Jeongin went after, he had somehow acquired an information that worried him. </p><p>Hyunjin let himself be dragged by his cousin until they were out of everyone’s earshot then he tried to get the kitsune to stop walking by tugging at the other’s hand. He needed to know what Jeongin had seen or heard, that got the younger so stressed and worried.</p><p>“What’s going on?”, the siren asked, with a bit of fear in his voice. Jeongin took an audible breath and stopped dragging the siren. The blond turned around to face his cousin. The kitsune disconnected their hands only to play with the ring on his middle finger. Hyunjin had been right; Jeongin was very worried, but he still didn’t know why. </p><p>“What happened when you were gone?”, Hyunjin rephrased his previous question, looking directly into his cousin’s eyes. There was already a worst case scenario forming in Hyunjin’s head and he just wanted to push it down and not think about it. </p><p>“I picked up the scent of Jisung’s uncle and followed it to the basement of the headquarter. I don’t know why but he must know something that’s relevant for NCT and the other groups or at least some of them. All I know is that Changbin-hyung should know what’s going on, which means we have to find him and all the others now, because whatever it is that Jisung’s uncle knows it’s important”, the kitsune explained in one go. </p><p>Hyunjin needed a moment to process all of that before he gave Jeongin a little nod. “Alright, let’s find them. Can you like track them down by scent or use a spell?”, the siren suggested. Jeongin was silent for a short second before his eyes lit up with an idea. </p><p>“Tracking them with a spell would take too long, but if I’m lucky I can pick up at least Felix’s scent”, the kitsune answered and transformed, letting his fluffy fox tail and ears appear as well as his eyes switch to bright orange. </p><p>Hyunjin didn’t even have to ask why the kitsune could pick up Felix more easily, since he knew about their special connection to each other, which had gotten a lot stronger over time. Still, it took Jeongin quite some time to pick up Felix’s scent. According to the kitsune there were just too many scents in the air that distracted him. At that point he also added that it was almost a wonder how easy Jisung’s uncle was to track down by his unpleasant scent. </p><p>In the end, Jeongin managed to track Felix down to a room on the third floor. When the kitsune wanted to grab the door handle, it was pushed down and the door was opened by someone on the inside of the room. The young kitsune was now face to face with Felix. </p><p>“Having a secret meeting without us?”, Jeongin asked teasingly and Hyunjin noticed how perfectly the blond covered up that he was very worried. Sometimes it was really scary to know that Jeongin could probably fool anyone, even Hyunjin, who he grew up with him. </p><p>“Not really”, Felix mumbled to himself and stepped aside to let Hyunjin and Jeongin into the room. It worried Hyunjin, that the ginger wasn’t as hyper as he normally would be. Besides Felix there were also Changbin, Seungmin, Minho and Jisung in the room. They were standing or siting around the table in the middle of the room. </p><p>Hyunjin just followed Jeongin when he entered the room. The kitsune pretended like he didn’t have a motive for coming here, which to some degree bothered Hyunjin, but the siren knew his cousin too well to be actually mad about it. </p><p>“Why aren’t any of you at the meeting. It’s important, you know”, Jeongin stated, crossing his arms over his chest, obviously not directly addressing what the kitsune had told Hyunjin some minutes prior. The siren let him do so, because he didn’t really know what to say if he was honest.</p><p>“Taeyong told us to stay back. He, or someone he sent, will catch us up later”, Seungmin explained but Hyunjin noticed how the redhead glanced to Jisung like he was checking something. The siren looked at the warlock, who was sitting on a chair next to Minho but he didn’t find anything suspicious on him, just a determination that shimmering in his sky blue eyes. </p><p>Jisung suddenly stood up from his spot on the chair and walked a bit closer to Hyunjin and Jeongin, surprising both of them a little bit. “We have something to discuss but as a group, so we need to find Chan-hyung and Byungho-hyung”, the blue-haired male announced and then looked to Changbin. </p><p>“Do you mind, searching for them?”, he asked the vampire. Changbin seemed a bit amused and shook his head lightly. </p><p>“I will find them in no time”, he said and rushed out of the door in his supernatural speed. Hyunjin’s gaze followed the vampire for a short second before he looked back to Jisung. The determination in the warlock’s eyes seemed to almost burn like flame but it was not bad as far as Hyunjin was concerned. </p><p>“So something did happen, huh?”, Hyunjin mumbled to himself but it wasn’t hard to hear him. Seungmin walked up to the siren and laid his hand onto the taller’s shoulder. The siren looked at the redhead and felt warmth spreading through his whole body when his gaze met Seungmin’s dark eyes. They seemed calm and collected as always. </p><p>“Yeah, something did happen, but how did you know?”, the redhead asked with curiosity and a bit of confusion in his voice. Hyunjin just looked over to Jeongin as an answer. The kitsune should tell them now, otherwise Hyunjin would and he didn’t have the whole overview just yet. Jeongin, who probably knew he didn’t have much of a choice, let out a sigh when he met his cousin’s gaze. </p><p>“I picked up the scent of Jisung’s uncle when I was walking to the hall where the meeting is taking place. I followed it to the headquarter’s basement and maybe helped Johnny and a vampire named Baekhyun to get Jisung’s uncle to cooperate with them. When I asked what this was all about Baekhyun told me Changbin-hyung knew what all of this meant, so I got Hyunjin and tracked all of you down by scent”, Jeongin explained, letting his facade down. Minho and Felix looked a bit surprised when Jeongin talked about scents to Hyunjin’s confusion. Was there something wrong with the scents here?</p><p>“How did you managed to track down people by scent? At the moment, there are way too many around the whole headquarter to single one out”, Felix chimed in. The cat hybrid seemingly couldn’t decide if he should be impressed or just not believe it. </p><p>“Jisung’s uncle had a pretty unpleasant scent, so it really wasn’t that hard to track him down. And I know all of your scents, so I managed to track you with a lot of patience”, the kitsune kind of lied. Hyunjin knew Jeongin was only able to track Felix’s scent, but he didn’t comment on it because he was sure his cousin had his reasons for this half truth. </p><p>“Kind of impressive that NCT found my uncle already”, Jisung muttered to himself, but it was audible to the ones in his surroundings. Hyunjin still had no clue why they brought the warlock’s uncle in but he knew it would he answered soon, so he once again stayed silent.</p><p>Changbin returned with Chan and Byungho after around 20 minutes. Both seemed rather fine, which was a relief to not only Hyunjin. Nobody really commented their disappearance, since there was kind of a silent agreement to cut to the point directly. </p><p>“Some of you might want to grab a seat”, Jisung said and gestured to the chairs. “I needed one too”, he added. Hyunjin listened to the warlock’s advise because that statement alone made a certain amount of anxiety swirl around in his stomach. Jeongin, Chan and Byungho sat down too, seemingly thinking almost the same as Hyunjin or at least being a bit nervous too. </p><p>Jisung took a little breath before he spoke. “Changbin and Seungmin figured out that Zendala’s real name is Han Rin and that she is my biological mother”, he said in one breath and then paused looked at Hyunjin, Jeongin, Chan and Byungho to see their reactions. </p><p>Hyunjin just sat there motionless while his brain tried to process the information. Jisung’s mother was Zendala? The very evil warlock Zendala? The one who kidnapped two NCT members Zendala?  </p><p>In his mind Hyunjin conjured up the picture of Zendala. The one Taeyong created with magic, because he was the only one, who had directly faced her in the battle at the moon pack. It made so much sense, that Zendala was related to Jisung. They both had dark blue hair, a rather slim and small frame and sky blue eyes, but Zendala had this dangerous shimmer in her sky blue orbs, making her look both powerful and insane. For a short moment Hyunjin’s imagination went south and he pictured Jisung with the same look in his eyes.</p><p>“For clarification. He found out about this information only an hour or so prior. Taeyong already knows it and probably is adjusting some things in his plan because of it”, Seungmin chimed in, Hyunjin was ripped out of his thoughts by the redhead, who had probably spoken up, because Jisung’s formulation left too many questions unanswered. </p><p>Hyunjin mentally slapped himself for comparing his friend to a criminal like Zendala. Jisung was Jisung, no matter who his biological mother was. No one should be defined by their family, only by their actions, that was literally something his mother said to him over and over again every time he had asked about his father. </p><p>“And what should we do with that information now?”, Jeongin asked, sounding very neutral. Hyunjin looked at his cousin and saw that not only his voice sounded neutral but also his mimic remained unfazed. The siren couldn’t tell if Jeongin had put up a facade or not, which worried him to a certain degree. </p><p>“We use it against Zendala”, Seungmin spoke up and looked at everyone. Hyunjin asked himself what Seungmin had in mind, because the very last thing he would see as an option was putting Jisung purposely in Zendala’s way in hopes of her knowing she would attack her son. . </p><p>“I haven’t told you something for quite some time now”, the redhead continued while seemingly trying to not show any kind of emotions. Hyunjin grew highly concerned after hearing this. What had the redhead hidden from them? The siren slowly began to play with his fingers underneath the table to calm himself down a little. </p><p>“You may recall the name Emily. She is the huntress NCT captured after the attack on the Sky Clan. My brother Wonpil and I were the ones, who interrogated her and got a lot of information from her. Somehow when Taeil gave use every little detail about the hunters and the current war he managed to sneak one detail past all of you”, the redhead began, laying his hands onto the table while briefly looking at everyone. “Emily told me and Wonpil that Zendala has given every hunter the order to not harm Jisung in any way. Emily didn’t know why Zendala has given them that order but if he take into consideration that Jisung is her son it makes a lot more sense”, the redhead explained. </p><p>Hyunjin just looked blankly at Seungmin. He had no idea how react to that. A part of him felt betrayed, because he could recall how they had once promised each other to not hide things from one another, so they could help and protect each other. Maybe that was just senseless talking after all. </p><p>“Why didn’t you say anything about that earlier?”, Jisung asked in almost a whisper. Hyunjin looked over to the warlock, who didn’t stand too far away from Seungmin. He looked like he had been betrayed, but in his eyes shimmered with more than just hurt and betrayal. It was almost too complex to decipher. </p><p>“Because I wasn’t allowed to and back then it didn’t make any sense either”, the redhead answered in a calm tone, which made Hyunjin question if he regretted it even a little bit. Still, the thing that upset him the most was that he had no idea that Seungmin had been hiding something like that. The siren slowly got the feeling someone was squeezing his heart together when he realized that the redhead was probably a better liar than Jeongin, which also meant Hyunjin would never be able to tell if Seungmin told the truth or not. </p><p>A chair beside Hyunjin creaked which let the siren finally take his gaze off Seungmin and look at the person, who had stood up. It was Chan. The wolf hybrid walked up to Seungmin and just stood beside him. </p><p>“For some it may sound like a lot to ask, but we should focus on the most important thing now, alright? What Seungmin told us more or less confirms that Zendala knows Jisung is her son or at least he is special to her, which causes her to want him unharmed”, the wolf hybrid spoke up, looking at everyone in the room. His gaze was calm yet serious. </p><p>“We can use that against her because right now she still has no clue we know all of this. We may have to talk it over with Taeyong before we can effectively implement it in the big plan”, he continued and then he focused his gaze onto Jisung. “That means if you are up for it”, he asked the warlock. Jisung looked back at his leader. Even though there was still betrayal and hurt glimmering in his eyes he seemed more determined than anything. </p><p>“I’m up for it”, he confirmed, sounding determined. “Whatever I need to do, so we can bring Zendala down, I will do it”, he added. Chan gave him a little nod. </p><p>“We are a team, a group. We have made our promises but everyone defines them differently and nobody should be blamed for that if he had nothing but good intentions or no other choice. When we want to take part in the rescue mission, we have to trust each other blindly. If we can’t do that, we are a risk and no help. Please consider that”, Chan ended his little speech. </p><p>Hyunjin looked down onto his lap. Chan was right. Even though Hyunjin wasn’t participating in the rescue mission he shouldn’t make it hard for the members who did. Seungmin probably had his reasons to withhold certain information and there was also the aspect that he was told to not tell them by an NCT member. </p><p>The siren stood up, letting his chair creak and looked at the members of his group, who watched him with surprise. This time he wasn’t staying silent. </p><p>“Chan-hyung is right. This is the worst time to argue about little things like that and besides I think we all know Seungmin good enough to say he does nothing without a good reason”, the siren stated and looked at Seungmin, but also the rest until his gaze landed on Jisung. The warlock let his shoulders slump a little bit.  </p><p>“Yeah, you are right. It’s just ...”, Jisung sighed and looked at Seungmin. “Sometimes I just really don’t know how many things you are keeping from me, from us”, the warlock admitted. Seungmin showed him a little smile. </p><p>“Just know if I do there’s a reason. A good one too, like Hyunjin said”, the redhead replied, not being very specific. Hyunjin knew that in this room Seungmin was probably the one with the most secrets and a part of the siren really wanted to just know all of them, but the other part hoped that one day Seungmin would just open up about them himself. For now  though Hyunjin just wanted to trust the redhead.</p>
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<a name="section0068"><h2>68. Distrust and fears</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Reinhard distrusts Zendala officially and Jeongin reveals his fears to Felix.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a knock on the door, which made Zendala look up from the documents in front of her. She fixated the door with her eyes before she said “Come in” in a neutral voice. Nobody had made an appointment with her, so she readied herself for anything. The door was slowly opened by a figure hidden under a cloak. Zendala knew that it was Shiela in an instant, which made Zendala let out a breath. </p><p>“You scared me for a second, sister”, the female warlock commented and leaned back into her chair. Shiela let the cloak’s hood fall from her head. She wore a light frown on her face and looked like she was bringing bad news, which made Zendala lean forward again. </p><p>“I bring bad news, sister”, Shiela started, but instead of continuing to speak she stepped to the side and let another person enter the room. Reinhard. The tall hunter with the black mask let the door close behind his back and for a moment he just stood there with nothing but calmness radiating from him. </p><p>The look on Zendala’s face became dark and she slowly stood up. She had a bad feeling about this. Even though Reinhard didn’t really show it, Zendala knew he had something on his mind she would dislike greatly. It also worried her that Reinhard was obviously aware of Shiela and her relationship to Zendala. </p><p>“What is this about?”, the blue-haired warlock demanded to know, looking straight into Reinhard’s eyes. The tall hunter didn’t show any reaction and let Zendala pierce through him with her eyes before he began talking. </p><p>“I have come to question your motives and loyalty and how many more secrets there are I should know about”, Reinhard said calmly, but Zendala was able to pick up the faint trace of anger in his voice. Zendala straightened her back and didn’t break eye contact with Reinhard. She wouldn’t back down. </p><p>“For someone who has declared me their queen this is an unbelievable and also insulting accusation”, Zendala retorted and crossed her arms over her chest. A spark of anger was seen in Reinhard’s eyes but he remained calm. </p><p>“You want to kill every last supernatural creature because you feel wronged by them, that they are nothing more than monsters. You joined forces with me, because I want the supernatural creature gone as much as you do. I declared you my queen, because I saw your brilliance, passion and your leading abilities. I admired you but as time went on I saw how many secrets you have, how many things you try to hide from the world, from me. This made me question what was your true goal”, Reinhard stated in a firm voice and then glanced at Shiela. The second Reinhard would raise a hand against Shiela would be his last. </p><p>“It made me also question who else is your ally, or a person you want to protect from your own plan. Who is out there that you treasure?”, the hunter continued and fixated Zendala with his eyes once more. The woman with the dark blue didn’t budge for a second and just continued to stare into the hunter’s eyes. Zendala knew Reinhard was asking about Han Jisung and she also knew she couldn’t hide the boy’s relation to her much longer.</p><p>“Shiela is my source of information for a lot of things. She has to stay undercover no matter what, or we might loose the things she can provide and for Han Jisung. He is my son and was my hope for this terrible world until he was taken from me. If he is hurt or killed I can’t guarantee for anyone’s safety anymore”, Zendala said lowly, not breaking eye contact with Reinhard for even a second. The hunter showed no reaction until he slowly nodded and broke eye contact. </p><p>“I understand now. I’m sorry for questioning you, my queen”, the hunter apologized and bowed his head lightly. Zendala only narrowed her eyes, knowing Reinhard wasn’t one hundred percent sincere but neither was she. </p><p>“If you can’t trust me, trust in our goal”, the female warlock stated, not taking her eyes off the tall hunter. Reinhard nodded again without looking into her eyes. </p><p>“I will think about that, my queen”, he simply replied and then turned to leave the room, not looking back at Zendala once. The blue-haired woman watched the tall male leaving the room and then met the concerned eyes of her younger sister. </p><p>“How did he find out?”, Zendala sighed, rubbing her temples. Shiela rubbed her arm nervously and didn’t dare to meet Zendala’s gaze again, which made the slightly older woman walk around her desk and to her sister. </p><p>“He took me off guard and then guessed correctly. He could read the answer from my mimic”, Shiela finally brought out, slowly looking up to Zendala. The older warlock only sighed again and laid her hand onto her sister’s shoulder. </p><p>“It’s not your fault. Reinhard is a cunning man, which was why I had hoped he would be blindly in love with me a bit longer, but now he considers me suspicious, which makes everything a lot more dangerous for us”, Zendala admitted and unconsciously looked to the door. </p><p>“Why did you even tell him about Jisung? Now, Reinhard knows how important Jisung is to you, making him your most obvious weakness”, Shiela asked cautiously. Zendala turned her head back to her sister. She had a neutral look on her face and just seemed to be very objective about the topic while in reality she hated herself for telling Reinhard. </p><p>“Some time ago, Reinhard started to question why Jisung was so important to me and wanted to know why. Ironically the situation we were in was quite similar to this one if I am honest. Back then, I dismissed the topic quickly and didn’t tell him much to his displeasure”, Zendala began, dryly chuckling to herself. Shiela looked back to the ground and mumbled a barely audible “I’m sorry”. Zendala just lifted her sister’s chin and smiled lightly. </p><p>“Don’t be sorry. Reinhard just showed once more that he isn’t an idiot, which was one of the reasons I chose to form an alliance with him”, the blue-haired warlock said and let her hand drop while looking into her sister’s eyes. Shiela’s eyes were blue but a bit darker than Zendala’s sky blue orbs. </p><p>“I shouldn’t have underestimated Reinhard. You warned me, after all”, Shiela muttered but she did look into her older sister’s sky blue eyes, the ones her only son inherited.</p><p>“Do you think Reinhard will go after Jisung to hurt you?”, Shiela asked cautiously, trying to not upset her sister. Zendala took some steps back and leaned onto her desk. She looked at the ground before she raised her gaze back up to her younger sister, who looked concerned. </p><p>“I don’t know. He is obviously doubting my loyalty to the hunters, so it wouldn’t be unlike him”, she began, once again looking at the door while her gaze hardened. “But I also warned him. If he hurts or kills my son, the last bit of my hope dies and I will end all hunters before taking on the supernaturals no matter the costs”, Zendala ended in a cold tone, which almost let the room freeze. </p><p>——————————</p><p>If Felix was honest with himself he felt strange when he listened to Taeyong, who was summing up everything that happened at the meeting today. He was feeling that way not because of what Taeyong said, no, he had the feeling he was sitting alone in the meeting room, even though his whole group was there. He hated that feeling, especially because he never had it ever before in his whole life. </p><p>The ginger always had people around him he was close to may it be family or friends. He never experienced the feeling of loneliness, but right now he had the feeling he couldn’t trust anyone, even though it was absolutely ridiculous. Even if he couldn’t trust his friends he still had Minho, his brother, the one who promised to never leave him. </p><p>Felix glanced at Minho, who was sitting beside him. He couldn’t explain why but at the moment he felt like even Minho was out of his reach. Was it because Minho was so focused on his mate or was it something else? The cat hybrid mentally slapped himself for thinking that. Minho wouldn’t leave him for Jisung or would he? </p><p>The cat hybrid with the ginger hair shook his thought away and focused on Taeyong instead of answering that question, whose answer he thought to know. The red-haired guardian had explained in every detail what they found out about the main facility of the hunters and how it was surrounded with rather complex spells to protect it from intruders. Felix had no clue about magic and understood only half of what Taeyong was saying, but glancing at Jeongin was enough to know that at least the kitsune understood what the guardian was taking about. </p><p>Next thing Taeyong explained in detail was the plan he and the leaders had worked on in the course of the meeting. It was a pretty solid plan that required some groups to work together as one. ACE and IZ were probably the best example for that, since they were basically completely put together into one rescue party. </p><p>The plan sounded rather simple if Felix was honest. Taeyong along with Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung and Jungwoo would sneak into the hunters headquarter first and disable every bit of security they had may it be magical or not. The next part of the plan didn’t sit well with Felix and also the other members of Stray Kids, because it included the vampires lead by Changbin.</p><p>The vampires along with Wonpil were there to quietly take out the hunters nearby with the help of Doyoung and Jungwoo, who would distract them, using their special voices. This was necessary so they remained completely unnoticed. </p><p>Taeyong’s rescue group and the vampires lead by Changbin would have to sneak through the headquarter to get to the third basement floor, so Yuta and Taeyong could open a portal there to let the other rescue parties in. </p><p>Another part Felix didn’t really understand was when Taeyong talked about the warlocks, who would have to stay away from the hunters’ headquarter to make sure the portals were safe and stable, so escaping was easy for the groups in the “lion’s cave” as long a magical creature was with them.</p><p>At that point Taeyong told them that the ones, who have been chosen to stay back of the Stray Kids were Jisung and Seungmin, but Jisung was assigned to another group, since they didn’t have two magical creatures. That group was BTS, which at first didn’t sound like a problem, but then Felix remembered that Taehyung was in that group. He glanced at Minho for a brief moment to see his brother’s reaction, but the older cat hybrid stayed surprisingly clam, which made Felix mentally let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. </p><p>Taeyong also clarified that not everyone knew about Jisung being Zendala’s son, mainly because it was Jisung’s secret to tell and not the ones of the leaders. It also wasn’t implemented in the plan, since they hoped to not alarm and/ or meet Zendala at all. If that did happen to one group they all would need to bail no matter what. The way Taeyong said that also made it pretty clear that this was probably the most important part about the whole operation, since the whole mission would be of no use if the rescue parties were captured, or worse killed. </p><p>After Taeyong had explained the plan, he informed the group and teenagers and hound adults that the training for the rescue mission would start tomorrow. Every magical creature had to learn the portal spell if they haven’t mastered it already. Of course, everyone also needed to train with their assigned rescue group, which for the most part was their normal group, but since some were merged and some had to help another one it was important to adjust some things. Maybe even train some combo moves, even though they didn’t have much time to perfect them.</p><p>After Taeyong finished he also suggested that everyone should head to bed to rest and then left, probably having to organize some other things too as well as preparing his own group. Hearing how the guardian suggested that they should go to sleep let everyone in Stray Kids realize how much time had past and that the sun was already disappearing behind the horizon. </p><p>Felix sighed deeply and leaned back, pressing his back lightly into the chair. He looked up to the ceiling and let everything he had heard sink in for a moment. The plan was more or less finished, everyone now had their official role and in a few days they would really try to free the cat hybrids of the Sky Clan and whoever was still alive of the vampires from the royal palace. </p><p>Felix felt a little sting in his heart when a picture of his parents entered his mind. He didn’t want to imagine what they must have been through ever since they have been kidnapped. It was just too hard on him. </p><p>“Byungho-hyung and I should head home for today”, Seungmin spoke up, breaking the silence the room had fallen into after Taeyong had left. “And everyone of you should really head to their room to sleep”, the redhead continued, glancing at Changbin for so short moment. </p><p>Felix turned his head a little and looked the at redhead, who at first seemed calm and collected, but the cat hybrid noticed even with Seungmin being on the side of the room, that the younger’s eyes seemed a bit more dull, indicating that he was exhausted. Felix was pretty tired too if he was honest with himself. </p><p>The whole group ended up leaving the little meeting room together and then splitting up. Chan, Changbin and Hyunjin were seeing Byungho and Seungmin off and Minho, Jisung, Jeongin and Felix were supposed to go back to their rooms. </p><p>Nobody really said anything until Felix felt someone lightly pulling at the sleeve of pullover. He looked to the side in confusion to see that Jeongin was the one pulling the fabric. It was like the kitsune wanted the ginger to follow him but the blond only slowed down until they both stood still. </p><p>“Hyungs I will walk around for a bit before I go to sleep. I want to think everything through”, the blond said, looking at Minho and Jisung. The two stopped as well and turned around to look at their group members.</p><p>“I will go with him, so don’t worry. I think I need it anyway”, Felix answered naturally. Both Minho and Jisung seemed a bit confused but only lightly. Felix looked at his older brother with a bit of a plead in his eyes, in hopes of getting the other to agree. </p><p>“Alright. Just don’t take too long”, Minho sighed. Both Jeongin and Felix nodded and then watched how Minho dragged Jisung along, who seemingly wanted to protest, but didn’t find the right words. </p><p>“Thanks for the help”, Jeongin quietly mumbled beside Felix and let his hand drop. The cat hybrid looked at the younger male and lightly smiled. It came almost natural to him to help Jeongin out and it really sounded nice to walk around a bit before bed. </p><p>“It’s not a problem, besides I think I really do need to walk around and think for a bit”, the ginger admitted, casually taking Jeongin’s hand and then started to walk. Jeongin’s hand was a lot bigger than his, but Felix didn’t mind at all. After all, the blond boy’s hand was always pleasantly warm. </p><p>The kitsune matched the cat hybrid’s pace instantly and quietly walked beside the ginger. Felix internally thanked Jeongin for the opportunity to get his feelings sorted and it was also nice to hold someone’s hand while doing so. </p><p>Over the course of just walking through the corridors of the headquarter, trying to avoid anyone they saw walking around, Felix thought back to the things he felt while listening to Taeyong. The feeling of loneliness, which had clawed at his ribcage like a hungry animal. The cat hybrid noticed that it had disappeared now, maybe because he was holding Jeongin’s warm hand or maybe because it was just a one time thing. </p><p>Wandering around mindlessly while not talking, was indeed good to mentally work things out, but a disadvantage was that you will at some point meet a dead end. That happened to Jeongin and Felix too. They stood in front of a wall at the far end of a corridor on the second floor. It was probably one of the few in the whole headquarter. </p><p>“Never knew they had dead ends here. Kinda expected the corridors to just be in a circle-like structure”, Felix commented, trying to be funny, but when he turned to the kitsune he was just met with a hug. </p><p>The cat hybrid blinked in confusion before he eased into the hug and put his arms around Jeongin, slowly getting worried about his blond friend. He laid his head onto the kitsune’s shoulder while closing his eyes, so he could focus more on his hearing and his nose in case something was up with Jeongin and he just hid it, but their was nothing out of the usual. </p><p>“Is something wrong?”, Felix gently asked the younger, lightly patting the other’s back. Jeongin didn’t respond immediately and held Felix a bit tighter. The cat hybrid felt almost small in the blond’s embrace, even though they were about the same height. </p><p>“I’m sorry”, the kitsune apologized out of nowhere, confusing the ginger. There was no reason for the blond to apologize as far as Felix was concerned.</p><p>“There is nothing for you to be sorry for”, Felix answered, turning his head to gently nudge Jeongin’s head with his nose. Jeongin’s blond hair tickled the cat hybrid’s nose a bit, but the ginger referred from laughing. </p><p>“There is. I’m not taking part in the rescue mission. I’ll just stay here while everyone else is trying their best to save the people that haven been captured”, Jeongin muttered and then hid his face in Felix’s shoulder. </p><p>The cat hybrid was silent for a good minute. Jeongin was right about that, but he had no real reason to participate in the rescue mission unlike Felix, who wanted to free his parents at all costs. </p><p>“You shouldn’t be sorry for that”, Felix replied, hugging the kitsune a bit tighter. He wanted to reassure the younger male, that it was totally fine for him to stay back, to stay in the safety of the NCT headquarter away from any harm. </p><p>“You don’t have a reason to take part in the mission and besides you aren’t staying back alone. There are other people who aren’t participating for a variety of reasons”, the cat hybrid continued, rubbing the blond’s back when he felt the other’s muscles tense while trying to stay composed. </p><p>This was the first time Felix had seen Jeongin get this emotional, so he did his best to comfort the kitsune, who was lightly trembling in his arms. It was one of the rare moments where Felix realized that Jeongin was indeed the youngest of his friends, the youngest of Stray Kids. Sure, he was a kitsune and overall a gifted magic user, but he was only sixteen years old kid. Taking the blond’s age into consideration didn’t make things better though, since Felix wasn’t even half a year older than Jeongin. </p><p>The cat hybrid pushed those thoughts away and loosened the hug a little bit. Jeongin on the other hand continued to cling onto Felix, making the older of the two internally coo. He felt kind of honored that Jeongin didn’t want to let him go, but he wanted to look into Jeongin’s eyes when he reassured him once and for all that it was okay that he didn’t participate in the rescue mission. </p><p>“Innie could you look at me for a moment, please?”, Felix asked in a gentle voice while using the younger boy’s nickname. At first Jeongin just held onto the other a tad tighter but then let Felix slowly rearrange their embrace, so they could look each other in the face. </p><p>When their eyes met Felix could see the distress Jeongin must be feeling shimmering in the kitsune’s dark brown orbs. They reflected how worried, scared and guilty he felt on the inside. The cat hybrid had the feeling something stung his heart when he saw this, but it also made him wonder how long Jeongin kept quiet about it, how long he had hidden it behind a facade. Just thinking about this made the cat hybrid gently cup the blond’s face with his hands without breaking eye contact. </p><p>“Listen to me. It’s okay to not take part in the rescue mission. Nobody blames you for that and you aren’t the only one, who stays back either, alright? Don’t be so hard on yourself because of that”, Felix began talking in a tone that was both sincere but also serious. He wanted Jeongin to believe him. </p><p>“Besides you do your hyungs a big favor by just being safe and sound”, the cat hybrid then added in a quieter and much softer voice. Even though, Felix said “hyungs” and was sure the others would agree with him, he meant more himself. He wanted Jeongin out of danger at all costs. </p><p>Slowly, Jeongin’s eyes got watery and his lips lightly wobbled, but he didn’t move or say a word. Felix just smiled gently and a part of him really wanted to just protect Jeongin from everything that could harm him. </p><p>When a single tear made it down Jeongin’s cheek, Felix gently wiped it away with his thump. The kitsune’s cheeks were really soft and warm like he was blushing even though they weren’t red in the slightest. Somehow when thinking about Jeongin blushing, Felix got the urge to kiss the blond, but he had no clue why. It was a normal reaction though, right? </p><p>“Hyung, can I try something?”, Jeongin asked in a small voice. Felix quickly shooed away his previous thoughts and simply said “Sure” without properly thinking about Jeongin’s question. Before the cat hybrid could fully realize it the kitsune pecked his lips. </p><p>In the brief moment where Jeongin’s and Felix’s lips touched the cat hybrid swore that he heard the word “mate” echoing through his head but only after he had fully realized what Jeongin had just done, he was certain that Jeongin was really his mate.</p><p>“You’re my mate”, Felix said to himself, but unfortunately out loud. The cat hybrid let his hands drop from the kitsune’s cheek, but he had no idea where to put them now, so he just retracted them completely. There was this short moment in which neither of the two had a clue what to do or how to react, so they just avoided looking into each other’s eyes. </p><p>“I know”, Jeongin then mumbled, making Felix’s ears perk up. “I- I began having a crush on you, but I was just overall confused, so I asked Hyunjin - or better - tricked Hyunjin into telling me. It’s a siren ability to see who you have a crush on or a connection with and back then he accidentally said we had the same bond as Jisung-hyung and Minho-hyung, and Chan-hyung and Byungho-hyung and from then on it really wasn’t hard to get what was going on after Minho and Chan said they were their mates and-“, Jeongin was just ranting on and on.</p><p>Felix had to refer from chuckling since for once Jeongin didn’t seem like the witty fox spirit he usually was. Jeongin seemingly noticed the cat hybrid’s amusement at some point and stopped ranting at once with cheeks as red as roses. This made Felix finally crack and start laughing while Jeongin got more red by the second. </p><p>“You are just adorable, Innie”, Felix laughed. Jeongin seemingly wanted to argue that but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat, so he just opened his mouth and closed it again, while his face became more red. </p><p>“Stop laughing, will you”, the kitsune finally brought out after some difficulties. Felix slowly calmed down and then flashed a big bright grin at him, which let the fox spirit suddenly become dumbfounded. The cat hybrid liked the flustered Jeongin more than he had initially thought. </p><p>“Never knew our savage little maknae could be this cute”, Felix cooed, just for the sake of teasing the other. Jeongin crossed his arms defensively and looked to the side but he didn’t look mad or anything just more flustered. </p><p>The cat hybrid just looked at the younger, who was his mate, and kinda understood why he could never truly describe how he felt about the kitsune in the past. The reason why he was never one hundred percent sure if his feelings towards the kitsune were completely platonic. </p><p>“Hyung?”, Jeongin’s voice ripped the cat hybrid out of his thoughts and let him focus back onto the blond, letting their eyes meet once again. Jeongin seemingly caught hold of himself again even though his cheeks still showed a faint trace of pink. The younger’s dark orbs shimmered with a little bit of concern which made Felix smile a little bit. The kitsune’s honest concern got cuter every time Felix saw it. </p><p>“I’m fine. Don’t worry”, the cat hybrid answered to the question which was basically written all over the younger’s face. The cat hybrid straightened his back a little and then held his hand out for Jeongin to grab. The kitsune naturally took the other’s hand, intertwining their fingers automatically.</p><p>“We should go back to rest”, Felix suggested, slowly starting to walk. Jeongin followed his lead, matching his pace easily. The cat hybrid had always liked having the kitsune by his side, but now he just wanted to stay with the other as long as he could. It made him think of something. </p><p>“Oh, do you think your aunt would mind if you slept in the room next door?”, the cat hybrid asked, trying to seem casual. It was obviously a question with intention, but Felix tried his best to hide it. He just really wanted to just cuddle the kitsune all night. </p><p>“I think she would be okay if it”, Jeongin chuckled. The sound of Jeongin chuckling had always been adorable in Felix’s opinion and he wouldn’t allow anyone to ever disagree. The cat hybrid showed the kitsune a bright smile, being glad about the answer. </p><p>“Good because I plan on not letting you go that fast”, the ginger replied happily swing their intertwined hands back and forth in a calm rhythm.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0069"><h2>69. Moral compass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin has some issues to sort out and Minho tells Jisung why he doesn’t get along with Taehyung.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shortly after leaving the little meeting room, Seungmin had taken out his phone to text Wonpil that they should return home now. The redhead walked in a slower pace, so he wasn’t running into other people or things while he typed. The lead to Chan and Byungho walking a bit ahead while Changbin, Hyunjin and Seungmin fell back a little.</p><p>After sending the text he wrote, Wonpil’s reply came almost instantly, which wasn’t that unusual for the older demon. Wonpil suggested in his text that they should meet in the lobby, to which Seungmin agreed in a short message. </p><p>“Who are you texting with?”, Hyunjin, who walked beside Seungmin, asked, making the redhead look up from his phone and towards the siren. When the young demon saw the light and polite smile on Hyunjin’s lips a bit of guilt let his chest feel heavy. He knew Hyunjin had realized something when he had told everyone of Stray Kids how he had know about Jisung being in some way special to Zendala long before he and Changbin figured out the blue-haired warlock was Zendala’s son. He knew that because even though Hyunjin tried to pretend there was nothing wrong, his eyes glimmered with a certain worry, fear and unanswered questions. </p><p>“Seungmin?”, Hyunjin called the redhead’s name quietly, looking quite confused. Seungmin quickly shook his head, realizing that he had been lost in thought and therefore just stared at Hyunjin without answering. </p><p>“I texted Wonpil-hyung. We’re meeting him in the lobby”, Seungmin finally answered the question, avoiding to look at Hyunjin to cover up the embarrassment that he felt creeping up his cheeks. He should have noticed how he had stared at Hyunjin and avoided it. </p><p>“Will you be picked up or go home alone?”, the siren carefully asked, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to ask that. At first, Seungmin was kind of confused until he realized that Hyunjin had probably no clue about his family structure. He was only aware of the fact that Byungho’s mother recently died and so did Athea, Woosu’s mother, but he had no clue who Woosu was, since Seungmin never really mentioned him in Hyunjin’s presence. </p><p>At that point Seungmin wholeheartedly understood why Hyunjin asked so carefully, because he was probably very confused but didn’t want to accidentally bring up a topic that was sensitive. On the other hand the redhead felt his chest get even heavier. Just how many people did truly know everything about him? </p><p>The redhead willed those thoughts down and reminded himself to stay in the present and to not let his thoughts wander. He had to be focused, for the sake of being useful. </p><p>“I will have to call my father once we are in the lobby. Then we will be picked up by him”, Seungmin answered, after the short pause. He wasn’t being really direct, but the details were really unnecessary to mention. Hyunjin nodded, signaling that he understood and didn’t continue asking. </p><p>Seungmin just felt weird while they quietly walked to the lobby. The little voice in the young demon’s head spoke up once more and told him that the awkwardness surrounding them was his fault, but he also couldn’t think of a way to make things different. He would have to live with it. </p><p>In the lobby they met Wonpil, who wasn’t there alone. Lucifer stood already beside his oldest son. Wonpil had probably called him here after he texted with Seungmin. The devil had his horns and devil’s tail hidden just like when he brought his sons to the NCT. A grin made its way onto Lucifer’s lips when he saw his two other sons and their friends. </p><p>Seeing his father grin made Seungmin realize something he should have earlier. Neither Chan nor Changbin nor Hyunjin had ever seen Lucifer. They didn’t know his name or that he was the devil himself. </p><p>“I didn’t know you two had such thoughtful friends”, Lucifer casually complimented, seemingly being very pleased with the current situation. Seungmin on the other hand was internally panicking. He had seen how his friends reacted when he hid things from them, no matter his intentions. There was no way he ever wanted them to know who his father really was. </p><p>“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kim”, Chan politely greeted Lucifer. The wolf hybrid had a polite smile on his lips, which the devil mirrored. “The pleasure is all mine”, Lucifer replied just as polite as Chan before his gaze shifted towards Seungmin, Hyunjin and Changbin. It was a simple, harmless gesture but enough to kind of set the redhead off. </p><p>“We should go now”, Seungmin said and walked over to Wonpil in quick steps. The young redhead felt how his hands began to tremble lightly but he tried to not let anyone notice by folding his hands behind his back while his gaze remained on his father and his friends.</p><p>“Seungmin is right. After all, you still need to relocated the house, father”, Wonpil politely added. Seungmin glanced at his older brother for a short moment and internally thanked the older for having his back. </p><p>Lucifer looked at his two demonic sons. Amusement was written all over his face and his signature grin showed itself again. It was a cocky grin, which made Seungmin seriously think about punching the devil in the face. </p><p>“As you wish”, the devil mused while his grin remained on his face. Byungho joined his brothers after saying a quick goodbye to Chan. The wolf hybrid seemed to be pretty okay with this whole situation, which made Seungmin almost wonder why but then the redhead’s gaze automatically shifted and landed on Hyunjin and Changbin. Hyunjin was standing properly but Seungmin saw how he nervously played with his fingers. Changbin, on the other hand, was lightly but restlessly shifting his weigh from one foot to the other and back.</p><p>It was awkward to say the least. They probably felt a bit uncomfortable too. Not to mention how they probably began to question how much they truly knew about Seungmin. Again, the redhead shushed those thoughts and reminded himself to focus. </p><p>“See you tomorrow”, Seungmin bid his goodbye shortly before Lucifer teleported them back to the Kim mansion. When the redhead saw the familiar walls of the entrance hall he could have sworn that he still heard a kind of echo from Changbin calling his name, but he brushed it off. There was just no reason for the vampire to call after him. Seungmin released a breath he didn’t know he was holding and was just glad he was home after such an eventful day. </p><p>“Well home sweet home”, Lucifer mused while his horns and devil’s tail reappeared. The black horns matched his raven hair and dark eyes perfectly as always. Lucifer turned and looked over to his three sons with his usual grin on his face. </p><p>“I will relocate the mansion now. You probably won’t notice it, so just go to your rooms and rest a little”, he said before walking towards the door, which lead to the garden, but before he properly reached it he halted. He turned around once more, having lost his grinning face already. </p><p>“Woosu wanted to talk to you by the way, so maybe pay him a visit before you are off to dreamland”, the devil added, showing a little smile before he resumed to walking to the garden. Seungmin looked after his father, but he didn’t really register when the devil opened the door and felt the entrance hall. It was like everything was slowly becoming colorless while blurring together. He wasn’t even sure if he had heard the door click shut. Everything was just slowly becoming dull and soundless. </p><p>“Everything alright?”, Wonpil asked and laid his hand on his younger brother’s shoulder. Seungmin  just nodded as an answer, not even turning his head towards his older brother. A tiredness began to slowly get hold of his body, which let even talking seem exhausting. Overall Seungmin had the feeling to slowly go blind, not because his vision became worse or anything, no, he felt like he didn’t notice what was happening around him. He couldn’t tell what the others were doing and how they were reacting. He just couldn’t read them at all. </p><p>“Seungmin?”, the redhead barely registered Byungho’s voice, but still automatically hummed as a response. He couldn’t tell if Byungho sounded worried, because everything around him seemed to begin floating around him aimlessly. </p><p>Everything the redhead saw, everything he heard, everything he could feel and smell just swirled around him without order, but despite this chaos Seungmin couldn’t feel a single emotion. The guilt and anxiety he had felt just minutes prior was just gone, but the worst thing was that the redhead couldn’t hear himself think. His brain was seemingly shut down and the moment that occurred to him the blackness engulfed him, taking everything he was still able to register from him. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Minho let the door behind him and Jisung fall shut after they had entered. Jisung let himself fall backwards onto Minho’s lower bunk bed in an instant and just stared up without saying anything. Without thinking too much, the cat hybrid walked over to his mate and let himself on top of the warlock. </p><p>“What the hell”, Jisung cursed breathless and tried to weakly push Minho off him, but gave up after just one unfruitful try. Despite having his face buried in the mattress beside Jisung’s head, Minho could tell that the warlock went from having a pained look on his face to just being a bit more relaxed than in the meeting room. </p><p>The cat hybrid could feel how the warlock put his arms around him and let out a little sigh. They silently stayed in their position for a while before Minho propped himself up on his elbows, so he could look at his boyfriend’s face. </p><p>When Minho saw Jisung’s sky blue eyes that shimmered in the dim light of the room, a part of him just erased the memory of Seungmin and Changbin saying that Jisung was Zendala’s son. There was just no way this adorable and beautiful boy was related to a psychotic witch. </p><p>“What are you looking at?”, Jisung asked cheekily while having a little grin on his face. “My beautiful mate and boyfriend”, Minho answered without wasting one single thought on his answer. He meant what he said, so he didn’t need to ponder over it.  </p><p>The little grin slowly disappeared from Jisung’s face, but the warlock’s sky blue eyes kept on looking deep into Minho’s dark brown orbs. The cat hybrid just returned the look and noticed that even though Jisung seemed to have brushed the thing with Zendala off and therefore wasn’t affected by it he still felt hurt. But who wouldn’t if they found out that their mother was a psychotic witch?</p><p>Minho let his face get closer to Jisung’s and gave the warlock a short peck on the lips. He wanted to show Jisung that he shouldn’t care about his biological mother. The older didn’t either despite having a good reason. For him Zendala wasn’t the young warlock’s mother or even related to him.  She was just someone that should be stopped for the sake of the world. </p><p>Jisung’s eyes got a bit watery, making Minho hope that Jisung really understood what he wanted to show him without saying one word. The warlock let his arms drop from Minho’s back, so he could put one hand behind the cat hybrid’s neck to pull him into a proper kiss. </p><p>As soon as Minho’s lips touched Jisung’s, the cat hybrid closed his eyes, melting into the kiss. He would never fully get used to fuzzy and warm feeling in his stomach whenever he kissed the blue-haired warlock. </p><p>The kiss didn’t last very long because they both were quite tired from today’s events. After they separated Minho pecked Jisung’s lips once more before he rolled off the other and laid down beside him. </p><p>Almost immediately did Jisung cuddle up to the cat hybrid and laid his head onto the older’s chest. Minho couldn’t hide the small smile that formed on his lips and put his arms around Jisung’s shoulders.</p><p>Despite everything happening around them, Minho let himself enjoy this moment where he could just hold his mate and not think about anything else. The cat hybrid let his eyes fall close and relaxed for the time being. </p><p>“Hyung?”, Jisung quietly called the other. Minho hummed as a response, leaving his eyes closed. “Is it really okay for you if I’m working with another group on the rescue mission?”, the warlock mumbled and shifted his head a bit. </p><p>The cat hybrid slowly opened his eyes, looking at the upper bunk bed. He didn’t know if he was okay with it or not, but he was the last person to complain about it. After all, he was well aware of the fact that it wasn’t just a coincidence that Jisung would have to work with BTS on the rescue mission. There was a reason behind it and if it was only the fact that Jisung was a magical creature, which could learn to create portals. </p><p>“I have to be okay with it. I don’t want to hijack the plans for the mission just because I don’t get along with someone”, Minho sighed and shifted his gaze so it laid on Jisung, who was already looking up at him. The cat hybrid knew what Jisung’s next question would be and he also knew that he couldn’t hide it any longer. At one point Minho had to tell the younger why he didn’t get along with Taehyung. </p><p>“Want to tell me now why you dislike Kim Taehyung so much?”, the warlock asked quietly. Minho sighed once more and looked back onto the upper bunk bed. He hated it when he was right and wished he didn’t have to tell the other one way or another. </p><p>“Taehyung and I used to be very close friends when we were younger. He is older than me by five years but since we grew up in the same clan that didn’t stop us from playing together all day. Felix played with us a lot too. Taehyung’s family consisted of tiger hybrids that could shift, just like Chan. It made them pretty strong by nature. That was probably the reason why Taehyung’s parents became the leader of the Sky Clan when I was nine”, Minho began explaining. Jisung quietly looked at him, listening to the other attentively. Even if the cat hybrid couldn’t see the warlock’s attentive gaze, he felt like the other was giving him 100 percent of his attention. </p><p>“Taehyung’s parents were pretty respected and so was Taehyung, but not only because he would be the leader in the future, no, he is also a white tiger hybrid, which is rare. I trained and played with Taehyung like we did before his parents became the leaders of the Sky Clan, but that lasted only four years”, the cat hybrid continued and let a sigh escape him. Remembering all of this made him want to go back to the days he spend goofing around with Taehyung and Felix, but now he would also want to have Jisung there by his side. </p><p>Even with Jisung resting on his chest, Minho felt a certain uneasiness crept up his body when he thought about the next part of the story. It was the part where everything went to hell at the Sky Clan and with it his friendship with Taehyung. </p><p>“Taehyung’s mother was killed when I was thirteen and Taehyung eighteen years old. It had been rumored that it was Taehyung’s father, but there was no proof. My parents had their suspicions and began to investigate this case. Because of that Taehyung’s father began to greatly dislike me and Felix, which was why we weren’t allowed to play with Taehyung anymore. Of course, we still spend time together behind our parents’ backs but over time my parents found more and more clues that proved their theories about Taehyung’s father being the killer”, Minho went on with the story. He shifted his gaze back to Jisung, who looked at him with sympathy and a bit of sadness in his eyes but he still said nothing, he was just listening. </p><p>Minho felt a bit warmer just looking at his mate. It gave him a certain amount of reassurance and made him feel a bit better about going on. </p><p>“I believed my parents since I witness how they found each clue but Taehyung didn’t. He thought wholeheartedly that his father was completely innocent. I tried to talk to him multiple times but in the end he always got angry at me, which brought a certain distance between us. It took my parents three years to find solid proof against Taehyung’s father. They talked to the older members of the clan in secret meetings about how to deal with this problem for another year and in the end they banned the whole Kim family despite my parents’ protest”, Minho sighed, bringing up one hand to rub his tired eyes. He hated this part of the whole story the most, because it had been very stressful at home at the time. Still, the next part was the one he really wasn’t proud of. </p><p>“Shortly before the whole Kim family was banned officially. I had an heated argument with Taehyung at the clan’s school, because he still believed in his father’s innocence despite everything my parents found out. We were on opposite sides and in the end I punched him, because Taehyung accused my parents of just wanting his family out of the way. It got downhill from there and we had a fight, which got Taehyung expelled from the school despite having to leave anyway. My parents then decided to send Felix and me to another school and to permanently move us to Yellow Wood. That’s basically how we ended up at Miroh High”, the cat hybrid ended and let his hand just fall to his side. He looked up once again. </p><p>Minho felt that Jisung changed his position a bit and unconsciously looked at warlock, who had gently laid his right hand over the cat hybrid’s heart. For a moment Jisung’s gaze rested on his hand and then he looked up to meet Minho’s gaze. The cat hybrid was once again mesmerized by the beautiful sky blue eyes, which were seemingly staring directly into his brown orbs. </p><p>“Thanks for trusting me”, the warlock simply said, surprising the cat hybrid quite a bit with his sincerity but it sounded kind of formal. Minho couldn’t help but grin in light amusement after his boyfriend’s statement. </p><p>“Well that sounded kind of stuck up”, the older teased, making the warlock lightly hit him and then hide his face in the cat hybrid’s chest. This alone made the whole thing even funnier for Minho, because it kind of proved that Jisung did realize how weird his statement sounded. </p><p>“I didn’t know what else to say”, Jisung whined into the older’s chest, making Minho chuckle a bit.   Jisung was effortlessly cute. The cat hybrid planted a little kiss on the other’s hairline, silently thanking the other for his sincerity and for listening to the whole story. Jisung grumbled a bit and just relaxed. The warlock let his head comfortably rest on the older’s chest once again.</p><p>“Saying nothing is fine too”, that cat hybrid breathed out, closing his eyes. He kind of felt better now that he told Jisung what was up with him, Felix and Taehyung. Maybe it was because he had never really told this story to anyone before, since there never was a need for it. On the other hand, it could also be because it was Jisung, the person Minho wished would someday know him inside and out. </p><p>“I kind of mean it though”, Jisung mumbled after a short silence. “I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me this, since it kind of is a bit deal for you, right?”, the warlock continued. Minho lightly smiled at the pureness of his boyfriend and gently traced imaginary patterns on Jisung’s back.  </p><p>“I never told it to anyone”, the cat hybrid answered. Jisung froze for a short moment, which made Minho lightly laugh. Who should he have told this? The whole Sky Clan knew the story more or less and the only friends Minho had at Miroh High were the members of Stray Kids. </p><p>“Alright I will just shut up now”, Jisung mumbled more to himself than to Minho, making the cat hybrid chuckle. The older just held the warlock a bit closer and let himself slowly drift off to dreamland until he heard someone at the door. </p><p>He relaxed as soon as he recognized the noise as Jeongin’s and Felix’s footsteps. At that moment he didn’t question why the two entered the room together. </p><p>———————————</p><p>Seungmin desperately tried to rip his eyes open, to escape the darkness that was surrounding him, to wake up from this nightmare of hearing, seeing, smelling and feeling nothing. He wasn’t able to move, he had no clue where he was and the worst things was that he felt trapped without knowing how or why. </p><p>Once again Seungmin tried to grip something or get his eyes to open but it was useless. What was even wrong with him, why had he this feeling of powerlessness? It couldn’t be because of Jisung’s bad reaction to Seungmin’s little reveal, right? Why would that be the reason? He knew the warlock had just been overreacting in the moment since he had already been stressed? But what if that was a wrong interpretation? Maybe Seungmin had read him wrong, maybe he was wrong about his best friend in general. </p><p>“By everything good. Stop. Stop thinking”, Seungmin yelled at himself. Jisung was his best friend for years; they had been through enough together to know each other. On the other hand Seungmin was the one who had kept his real species a secret form Jisung for years. The redhead had hidden his family from the warlock and so many other small things he couldn’t even count them. What made him think that Jisung wasn’t hiding anything from him? But then why would he react so hurt? </p><p>“Nononono. Just stop thinking about this”, Seungmin tried to just think nothing but he couldn’t. He had to always think everything through, so he could keep the ones he loved safe, but save from what? Why did Seungmin have the feeling he needed to always have a solution for everything? </p><p>Seungmin wanted to take a breath to calm himself down, but there seemingly was no more air around him. Automatically the redhead tried to take another breath but the air was just sucked out of his lungs. </p><p>“Wake up you idiot. This isn’t real, it can’t be”, the demon tried to reassure himself. It had to be a dream what was happening to him. There was no way this was happening to him in reality. It was all just imaginary and even if it wasn’t someone would have tried to save him or would they? </p><p>Suddenly Seungmin got hold of something underneath his hand. He couldn’t say what it was or describe how it felt but something was there. He tried to take a breath again even though he was sure his lungs were about to implode. Luckily the air around him was finally back. He sucked in the air, gripped tightly onto the thing under his hand and once again tried to forcefully rip himself out of whatever he was in. </p><p>The redhead ripped his eyes open and sat up instantly, breathing heavily. His eyes slowly focused on the thing in front of him, which was the wall of his room. Slowly he could feel his own body again or to be more specific the shirt and sweatpants that were uncomfortable sticking to his body. He could feel himself breathing hastily and the sweat that dripped off his face. </p><p>Seungmin slowly looked down to his lap and raised his hand, which was shaking a little. He still had no clue what had happened to him. He blinked a few times when he noticed his vision getting a bit blurry again. </p><p>“-min”, he could faintly hear someone’s voice. Slowly Seungmin turned his head to locate the voice and was met with a distressed Wonpil and Byungho, which were held back by their collars by non other than Lilith. </p><p>Seungmin saw his brothers’ mouths moving but for a short minute he couldn’t hear them at all. Only slowly did his hearing come back, which revealed to the redhead that his brothers were calling his name. </p><p>Lilith must have noticed that Seungmin was slowly working though his shocked state, because she let go of Wonpil and Byungho. The two older males didn’t loose any time and ran over to Seungmin, pulling the redhead into a firm but gentle hug. </p><p>“By everything good, Seungmin you almost scared us to death”, Wonpil almost yelled, being obviously relieved. The older eyes seemed a bit teary and Seungmin was unsure if his oldest bother would burst into tears or not. Still, Seungmin just let his two oldest brothers hug him quietly. He was just glad he could feel their warmth and hear their voices again. </p><p>“What happened?”, the young demon asked, breaking the room’s quietness with his rather raspy voice. Byungho and Wonpil slowly let go of their little brother and looked over to Lilith, who still stood quietly by the door. The female demon with the long red hair wasn’t showing any kind of emotion but there was something grim about her. </p><p>“I think mother can explain that better than us”, Wonpil whispered and handed Seungmin a glass of water from the night stand beside the bed. Seungmin took the glass in both hands and looked to his mother. Lilith sighed and walked a bit closer to the three boys.</p><p>“I have no idea what you did but you managed to confuse your moral compass to the point it affected you physically”, Lilith explained and crossed her arms over her chest. Seungmin looked at her in confusion and then briefly glanced at Wonpil and Byungho. It seemed like they knew what she was talking about. </p><p>Seungmin knew what a moral compass was its meaning to a demon. After all, demons were known to have a moral compass that was a bit messed up by nature, but Seungmin never had an issue with that until now. Still, he had no idea how he was supposed to have confused his moral compass or what that meant for him. </p><p>“I guess it is because even though you are a full blood demon your moral compass can be affected by mortal things because you grew up on earth”, Lilith continued, looking directly at Seungmin with her red eyes. A warning laid in the two blood red voids. </p><p>“You need to sort this out or you will become a danger to yourself and others. Sadly, I cannot tell you how because this has never happened to any demon before. I guess you just have to develop a strong conscious in order to forcefully guide your moral compass or give yourself some moral rules in order to get your moral compass back in his place forcefully”, she ended with a huff. She didn’t approve of this, obviously. </p><p>Seungmin looked down to the glass of water in his hands. The surface of the clear substance was moving a little bit, because of the redhead’s lightly shaking hands. He silently asked himself what even caused the confusion of his moral compass, but Lilith already mentioned that she had no clue how Seungmin had managed to mess up his moral compass this severe. </p><p>“Would it help to figure out what caused the confusion?”, Seungmin asked, still with a raspy voice. The redhead looked up to his mother. Lilith tapped her right pointer finger onto her chin in thought for a short moment before she opened her mouth to answer. </p><p>“Most likely. It could even be the solution to the problem in a way. Do you have an idea what caused it?”, Lilith wanted to know, her red eyes resting on her youngest son. Seungmin already knew he shouldn’t tell his mother the suggestion, which was swirling around in his head, in order to keep everyone safe from her, so the redhead shook his head. Lilith let a sigh escape her and Seungmin swore his mother even let her shoulder’s slump a bit like she was honestly disappointed.  </p><p>“Rest up a bit more and don’t use any magic until you feel better”, she simply said before she left the room. When the door fell shut Seungmin let a sigh escape him and he finally took a gulp of the clear substance. It felt like he hadn’t have anything to drink in ages when water slowly ran down his sore throat. </p><p>“Want to take a shower and then get changed?”, Wonpil suggested in a gentle voice. Seungmin wanted to furiously nod at that but he kept himself from doing so and just looked at his older brother, who looked at him with brotherly warmth and concern. He needed to ask some questions before he could relate under a shower. </p><p>“How long was I out of it?”, Seungmin asked, internally hoping that it was only some hours. He couldn’t even guess the time, because his windows were covered by the curtains and Wonpil and Byungho wore something different than when he last remembered. His memories felt a bit fuzzy though, so he wasn’t entirely sure what they wore the last time he saw them. </p><p>“You were out basically the whole night”, Wonpil slowly answered. Seungmin internally cursed and ran a hand through his messy and sweaty hair. That was way too long. He was supposed to train today with all of his friends, but so were Wonpil and Byungho and they were still here because of him. </p><p>“Don’t worry about the time and rest first. You can’t help anyone in your current state”, Byungho spoke up and laid his hand on Seungmin’s shoulder. The redhead took a breath and nodded, trying to tell himself the same thing. </p><p>He put the glass of water onto his night stand and slowly maneuvered himself to the edge of the bed. Wonpil stood up automatically and stretched his hand out for Seungmin to take if he wanted. The young demon looked at his brother’s hand and then took it, slowly standing up with Wonpil’s help. Standing on his own feet felt a bit weird right now, but he was fine up until now.</p><p>“Why are demons so greatly affected by their moral compass?”, Seungmin asked himself out loud while he carefully took his first few steps with Wonpil’s guidance. His steps were a bit wobbly but he managed to stabilize himself soon enough. </p><p>“According to our mother the only special thing about a demon’s moral compass is that he can do things that are considered bad or immoral without feeling bad or having a guilty conscious. At first she didn’t even believe that something was wrong with your moral compass until she saw you. I don’t know why but she also said that at some point your moral compass was so messed up that it caused you to doubt everything you ever did or believed”, Wonpil explained while he assisted Seungmin until the younger demon let go of his hand and took a few steps on his own. </p><p>The way Wonpil described it, it sounded like Lilith wasn’t the one, who discovered that something was wrong with Seungmin’s moral compass but someone else. Seungmin carefully spun around, testing how his body was reacting to the movement. It seemed like he was really entirely fine now, besides the fact that his moral compass was confused. </p><p>“Who found out that something was wrong with my morals compass?”, the redhead asked, facing his two brothers again. Wonpil immediately gestured to Byungho. Seungmin should have actually guessed that. Byungho did have natural healing abilities after all. </p><p>“We both figured it out. You seemed to be in pain, so I used my powers in order to help you rest peacefully but instead I felt a strange energy rotating inside you. It was kind of sucking the magical energy out of your body and causing a lot of problems. I let Wonpil look over it and he said it was something demonic so he went to get Lilith”, Byungho explained. Seungmin nodded in understanding. Sometimes Seungmin couldn’t help but think that he would have died a long time ago without his brothers. </p><p>“Thank you, you two”, Seungmin thanked his older two brothers. Both older males showed their little brother a light smile. “That’s what older brothers are for, right?”, Wonpil said. Seungmin lightly smiled back at the two and walked over to the bathroom that was attached to his room. </p><p>“I will go take a shower now and change cloths”, the young redhead announced and opened the door looking at his brothers once more as if he was silently asking for their approval even though it had been Wonpil’s suggestion to freshen up. The two older male just nodded as an answer. </p><p>Seungmin entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. For a short moment, the redhead leaned against the door, looking at the ceiling. This whole situation was just great. If the rescue mission wasn’t enough stress, Seungmin now had to worry about his unstable moral compass that could cause serious problems for him and the people in his surroundings if Lilith was right with what she had said. </p><p>A part of Seungmin also had an pretty good idea why his moral compass was going crazy. The young demon was slowly adapting to the “no secrets” philosophy of Stray Kids, hence why the immense feeling of guilt he noticed the day prior. If that idea was correct, he would have to tell his friends everything about him in order to hopefully fix his moral compass. </p><p>Seungmin felt himself tense up just thinking about this possibility. He just didn’t know how his friends would react to him being a full blood demon and the son of the devil and the queen of hell. More importantly, he didn’t know if he was ready to tell them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0070"><h2>70. Motives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Byungho worries about Seungmin and questions his opinion of his father, meanwhile Jeongin and Felix tell the group about Jeongin being Felix‘s mate.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Seungmin was out of sight, Byungho couldn’t help, but lightly frown in worry for his younger half brother. The timing of his problematic condition was really awful and it was even worse that Lilith, the queen of hell and mother to all demons, had no clue how to help him. </p><p>Byungho glanced at Wonpil and saw that the older was basically staring at the bathroom door in worry before his gaze shifted onto Byungho. Wonpil showed a deep amount of concern in his dark eyes, which reflected the way Byungho was feeling at the moment. Still, a part of the brunette knew that his older brother he was probably more worried about Seungmin’s wellbeing than him. After all, Wonpil was a demon and couldn’t understand what their younger brother was going through. </p><p>The brunette couldn’t help but think back to the moment Seungmin started to behave like he wasn’t able to understand what was going on around him and how he just fainted mere seconds after seconds after that. Byungho had barely been able to catch him before he would have hit the ground. </p><p>“Should we get Woosu and Samuel?”, Wonpil asked quietly like he was talking to himself. The demon’s gaze adverted Byungho’s and focused at nowhere in particular. For a moment, Byungho wasn’t even sure if Wonpil was talking to him. The faint sound of a running shower was the only sound that was audible in the room right now. </p><p>Woosu and Samuel knew that something had happened to Seungmin but they weren’t given any further information because of Lilith, who basically gave Rana the order to keep them away. Why she tolerated Byungho and Wonpil near Seungmin was still a bit unclear, but the last thing Byungho wanted to do was thinking about Lilith’s motives. After all, she was a complicated and unreadable woman. </p><p>“I guess they should know that Seungmin is awake now”, Byungho answered after a long pause. Wonpil turned around to look at Byungho and his worried, dark eyes were enough for the brunette to know that he should be the one to get them. At some point, Byungho really asked himself if he and Wonpil had always understood each other without words. </p><p>“I will be back in a few minutes”, Byungho said, showing his older brother a small smile before heading to the door. Before the brunette left he heard Wonpil say a quiet “Thank you”. </p><p>Byungho let a sigh escape his lips when he had walked a few steps away from the door of Seungmin’s room. He slowly started to hate the gods for their stupid fate. Why did all of this need to happen? Why couldn’t everybody just live in peace? </p><p>Byungho lightly shook his head, since he wasn’t sure if everything that was happening right now was really fate’s or the gods’ doing, especially when it came to him and his family. After all, Adam had said ... no. No, no, no. The brunette once again shook his head to get those thoughts about this certain angel out of his head. There was no way he would start to think about this particular angel. He didn’t want to think about any angels if he was honest. </p><p>“Where are you heading, Byungho?”, the voice of his father echoed through the corridor. Byungho was ripped out his thoughts by that voice and halted before he turned around only to see his father, dressed in a black suit with his signature grin on his face, standing at the end of the corridor. </p><p>Just seeing the devil made Byungho feel conflicted. He didn’t know whenever to hate him or not, to accept him or not. He was used to hating his father but recent events revealed that there was more to Lucifer than he had seen as long as he could remember. </p><p>“Samuel’s room”, Byungho answered his father’s question simply. He wasn’t really fond of the idea of talking to his father right now. The only thing he wanted was getting to Samuel’s room to tell Samuel and Woosu, who had been staying with the siren for the night, about Seungmin being awake now.  <br/>Lucifer hummed as a response to his son’s answer and walked up to Byungho, still having a smile on his face that seemed casual but still amused. Byungho wasn’t really fond of this smile either, since it was both difficult to interpret and irritating. </p><p>“Is Seungmin doing okay? Lilith seemed a bit stressed when she walked to her office, which is unlike her”, the devil casually asked, like he was having a normal conversation with Byungho. The brunette didn’t know why his father wanted to know how Seungmin was doing, since he was pretty sure that he already knew. That Lilith was stressed didn’t really surprise him, because despite being hard to read that woman made it fairly obvious that she hated not knowing things or being unaware of something. She also hated things she couldn’t predict, which was one of the reasons why she hated Eve with a passion. She couldn’t predict her actions and never provoke her. </p><p>“He is awake”, Byungho continued to answer with a few words in hopes of his father just going his merry way if he refused to really talk to him. Lucifer nodded and his smiled widened a bit, but it wasn’t an amused or teasing one. No, it almost seemed like Lucifer was glad to hear Seungmin was okay, which confused Byungho a little bit. Had he seen this in his father’s expression before?</p><p>“I will not keep you from getting to your younger brothers then. Besides, you will have to train later today, right?”, Lucifer mused and started walking, unfortunately in the direction of Samuel’s room. Byungho slowly followed his father, not saying anything for now. </p><p>The brunette knew that his father was well aware of everything that was happening at the moment, but it still was a bit creepy to be made aware that he even knew NCT’s plans and schedules for the rescue mission. The days Byungho hadn’t realized the power and knowledge of his father were really a bliss, but that reminded him Seungmin’s problem with his moral compass. Could Lucifer know a way to fix it? </p><p>“Father, do you know a way to help Seungmin with his moral compass?”, Byungho asked very directly, not wasting any time or words. He looked at the back of his father’s head, waiting for some sort of response. </p><p>Lucifer slowed down his steps and halted to let Byungho catch up the little distance that was between them before faced the brunette. It surprised Byungho a bit when he noticed that he was of the same height as his father and therefore eye to eye with him. In Lucifer’s dark eyes the brunette also saw all his brothers and himself. </p><p>Byungho tried to read in his father’s eyes if the devil knew something, but he was just met with a bit of sorrow and guilt. So, even the devil didn’t know how to fix a confused moral compass. </p><p>“I don’t have a solution Seungmin hasn’t come up with on his own at this point. After all, I was just as baffled about the condition of his moral compass as Lilith. There has never been a demon that felt so morally conflicted like Seungmin”, Lucifer said and adverted his gaze a little bit. Byungho could get a glimpse of something that was similar to parental concern in the devil’s eyes. </p><p>“I guess even my pure blood children are exceptional. I should have noticed that a lot earlier, but times passes by way to quickly for me”, he went on and sounded a bit amused, but his voice had an bitter undertone Byungho was barely able to pick up. The devil looked out of the window to his left, which lightened up the corridor, while he played a little with the golden ring on his right ring finger. It was his wedding ring. </p><p>Byungho looked down to his right hand where he was still wearing his mother’s wedding ring on his pinky. He had almost forgot about the little piece of jewelry, since it fitted him too perfectly for him to really feel it. Just gazing at the ring let this bitter sweetness and sadness he had tried to shut out, take over him. He missed his mother. </p><p>“You should get to your brothers before Wonpil and Seungmin get worried”, Lucifer commented after silence had fallen over them. Byungho looked up to his father, noticing that he was still looking out of the window. He looked unusual calm, but at this point Byungho had given up on trying to read his father. The brunette just nodded, walked past Lucifer and towards Samuel’s room while not looking back to his father.</p><p>When Byungho reached Samuel’s door he took a breath before knocking, trying to process the little talk with his father. When he did knock, Samuel opened the door like he had heard the other coming. “Is Seungmin-hyung okay?”, the young siren immediately asked. The younger looked up at Byungho with his big eyes, which shimmered with worry. </p><p>Samuel’s honest concern about someone was still one of the most heartwarming things in the world in the opinion of his brothers. The siren overall was just so pure and innocent he simply deserved the world. Or at least the peaceful part of it. </p><p>“He’s awake and at least seems fine”, Byungho replied. Samuel let a breath escape him as well as his shoulders slump in relief. He must have been beyond worried about Seungmin, but as far as Byungho knew the siren still didn’t know what was really up with the redhead. </p><p>“I’m glad he is okay”, a voice behind Samuel spoke up. Byungho raised his gaze and looked past Samuel, spotting Woosu, who was walking closer to his two brothers. The white-haired warlock showed relief and Byungho was glad he seemed more like himself again. </p><p>Woosu showed a tiny smile, but it didn’t meet his eyes at all. The warlock’s big, round eyes were normally glowing when the other even showed a tiny smile, but right now they seemed like a storm was swirling in them. The young warlock had something on his heart, which made Byungho remember what his father had said yesterday. Maybe Woosu the thing, that troubled the warlock was what he had already wanted to talk about yesterday. </p><p>Without much further talk, the three brothers returned to Seungmin’s room. Samuel was basically running ahead while Woosu and Byungho walked in a normal pace. At some point, Samuel began dragging his two older brothers towards the room because he was very impatient. </p><p>When they arrived at Seungmin’s room, Samuel was the first one to wrap Seungmin, who had just finished his shower judging by his dripping hair, up in a hug. The young redhead was a bit taken off guard by the sudden hug of his youngest brother, but he didn’t complain and laid his arms around the siren, accepting the embrace. </p><p>Wonpil, on the other hand, seemed more occupied with mustering Woosu a bit. The warlock was nervously shifting his weigh from one foot to the other. It was more than obvious that Woosu wanted to say something, but didn’t for some reason.</p><p>“Everything alright, Woosu?”, Wonpil asked, slowly walking over to the warlock. Woosu nodded and showed Wonpil a smile that probably should have been reassuring, but just showed a bit more that the warlock needed to tell them something. Maybe he just needed a bit of coaxing. </p><p>“You know you can talk to us about everything, right?”, Byungho asked, looking at the warlock. Woosu raised his gaze to look at Byungho. The dark eyes of the warlock showed that he was still debating whenever or not to talk now.  </p><p>“I know right now is a bad timing ...”, he began, fiddling with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. Byungho just laid a hand onto the warlock’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring and gently squeeze. Woosu glanced at Byungho for a short moment before taking a breath. Seungmin and Samuel’s attention was focused onto the warlock too. </p><p> “I need to talk to you about something I have thought about”, Woosu finally said, letting his gaze flicker to each of his brothers. Byungho noted that Samuel didn’t seem surprised at all. Maybe he knew what was coming. </p><p>“Go ahead”, Seungmin encouraged the warlock. Woosu nodded and took a breath again before he continued. He seemed like he had thought about what he was going to say next for some time now.</p><p>“Our father came to talk to me not long after the incident with Zendala. I was still out of it and didn’t know what I wanted, so he just sat beside me and told me about what he knew from my mother’s life. Where she grew up and what she did before she met him. Of course he didn’t fail to mention that my mother used to be close with Zendala which was a bit of new information for even him”, Woosu started and dug his finger into the fabric of his sleeves. </p><p>Byungho was sure that there was no denying that a part of the young warlock was angry knowing that his mother was murdered by someone she had been friends. This anger was like a flame burning in the warlock’s eyes. </p><p>“I asked father if there was any way I could help to stop Zendala and then he told me about NCT and all the other groups, including StrayKids and Day6, that planned on rescuing the creatures that were captured by Zendala and the hunters she works with”, Woosu went on, looking at his brothers once more. Byungho could see that he was determined, which made it clear what had been on his mind on the warlock’s mind. He wanted to participate in the rescue mission. </p><p>“I want to help the creatures Zendala is holding captive. My mother didn’t teach me magic for nothing”, the warlock ended. Byungho knew from his brother’s tone alone that he wasn’t taking “No” for an answer. </p><p>“Are you sure about this?”, Wonpil asked carefully, looking at the young male with the white hair. Woosu nodded with determination glimmering in his dark eyes. Wonpil nodded but Byungho knew the older wasn’t really happy with this. </p><p>Samuel, who was still hugging Seungmin, wasn’t any better than Wonpil. The young siren looked back and forth between his brothers with a bit of fear and worry. He was probably afraid of what was going to happen next, despite having been aware of Woosu’s plan. After all, to him Zendala was a very dangerous person that had managed to break into the mansion of the devil and attempted to take Byungho, Wonpil and Seungmin with her by threatening to kill Dowoon. </p><p>Just seeing Samuel scared and worried, reminded Byungho of the fact that he was even younger than Jeongin and hadn’t lived in the mansion for too long. He had officially joined the Kim family not even a year ago and already had to witness things that would have given a normal person permanent nightmares.</p><p>“We will be fine, Samuel”, Seungmin reassured the young siren before Byungho could even open his mouth. The redhead patted the siren’s back in a comforting manner and Samuel relaxed a little bit but his eyes still showed his worry. </p><p>Seungmin looked up from Samuel to Woosu. He seemed to quickly think something over before he continued to talk. You could see it in the redhead’s eyes when he was thinking something through. </p><p>“I think having another warlock would be quite beneficial for the rescue mission. Ever learned to create portals?”, the redhead asked. Woosu showed a little smile, which made his eyes glow a little bit. Apparently he did know the portal spell. </p><p>“Mastered it when I was twelve”, the warlock answered, slowly regaining his sunshine-like smile. </p><p>—————————</p><p>Jeongin was slowly woken up by a rather deep but pleasant sound that reminded him of a cat purring. The more he was coaxed out of his slumber, the more present became the deep purring along with a comforting warmth behind him. There was also this barely noticeable vibration on his back, which he kind of enjoyed. </p><p>Slowly did the kitsune open his eyes, adjusting to the light that was filtering through the curtains of the room. At first, Jeongin noticed that he wasn’t in his usual room, but he realized in just a second where he really was, mainly because he saw Jisung and Minho cuddled up on the bed opposite of the one he was laying in. </p><p>The fox spirit couldn’t help but smile a little when he recalled who the one purring behind him must be. Slowly and carefully did Jeongin turn around in order to not wake Felix or accidentally make him stop purring. </p><p>When the kitsune was face to face with the sleeping ginger his smile widened a bit more. Felix hadn’t woken up yet and continued to purr like a little kitten. Jeongin knew what of the meaning a cat purring, so he assumed that the same applied to cat hybrids, therefore Felix must be feeling very comfortable and safe right now. </p><p>Jeongin had to refer from cooing at the cute ginger, who just looked extremely peaceful and cute while he sleeping. His ginger hair was a bit messy and a few strains were falling into his face. Being so close to the cat hybrid made Jeongin notice that even though Felix had ginger hair, cat ears and cat tail his eyelashes had a blackish color. It was a minor detail compared to the fact that  being close up to Felix made you realize that he had a lot more freckles than you could see at first glance. It was like he had a little galaxy of stars painted all over his face. </p><p>“My mate is simply beautiful”, Jeongin thought to himself, slowly bringing up his hand, so he could brush the strains of orange hair out of Felix’s face. Just before the kitsune’s hand came into contact with the cat hybrid’s hair, the ginger stirred and slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to get the tiredness away. </p><p>Jeongin had the feeling someone knocked the air out of his lungs when Felix’s clear brown orbs looked directly into his eyes. They were warm, comforting and made Jeongin’s heart speed up in an instant. </p><p>“Morning”, Felix greeted in his deep morning voice while he smiled tiredly. Still, the ginger’s eyes shone like the sun behind the room’s curtains. Jeongin didn’t get out a reply, instead he internally wished he could travel back in time and tell his younger self to confess his feelings to Felix as soon as he got his crush verified by Hyunjin. </p><p>The kitsune got ripped out of his thoughts when Felix pressed his forehead against Jeongin’s hand, closing his eyes in the process while his purring continued. For some reason Jeongin felt his whole face burning up. He couldn’t explain why but just seeing Felix being this cute made every facade he tried to hide behind crumble into little pieces. The fox spirit had no idea the other could do that by just being adorable. </p><p>A sudden knocking on the door made Jeongin sit up straight and bump his head onto the upper bunk bed. He groaned in pain as the pain shot through his head. He raised his hand to press his palm onto the aching spot in hopes of easing the pain away. </p><p>“Are you okay?”, Felix asked beside him, slowly sitting up too. He was smart enough to not hit his head. “Yeah. I’m fine. Don’t worry”, the kitsune quickly replied and rubbed the aching spot. It would probably give the kitsune a not so pretty bruise directly on his forehead. Felix looked at the blond with a bit worried but said nothing. Still, Jeongin could practically feel Felix’s gaze quickly scan his head. The kitsune silently appreciated the cat hybrid’s concern and mentally told his quick heartbeat to calm down. </p><p>“Just come in”, Changbin yelled from the upper bunk bed Jeongin had hit his head on. He sounded like he had just woken up as well. The door to the room was opened by Hyunjin and Chan, who were fully dressed in sports cloths. </p><p>“We were send to wake you up”, Hyunjin declared, grinning enthusiastically. Jeongin would have scoffed at his cousin if his head wouldn’t hurt so much. There was a bit of rumbling from the upper bunk bed and the next thing you know Changbin was standing on the ground. Sometimes the speed of the vampire surprised even the kitsune. </p><p>“Are Seungmin and Byungho-hyung already here?”, the vampire asked, trying to sound normal, but Jeongin picked up on the barely noticeable worry in the vampire’s tone. It made him questioned if something had happened when Changbin, Hyunjin and Chan bid goodbye to the two Kim brothers, but when the kitsune looked to the wolf hybrid and the siren he couldn’t see anything that would indicate such a thing. Maybe Changbin was worried for a different reason? </p><p>“No, not yet but I called Byungho not long ago. They will be here soon”, Chan answered. Changbin relaxed a bit after hearing that and seemed a bit relieved, but Jeongin couldn’t understand why. Was there are reason to be worried about them? Goodness what had he missed yesterday? </p><p>“Now get dressed we have to go to the training in the halls”, Hyunjin urged while clapping to fully wake up Minho and Jisung. The two were still half asleep and Jeongin couldn’t blame them for it, but the kitsune did question why he and Hyunjin were included in the training, even though they didn’t participate in the rescue mission. </p><p>After being a bit annoyed and teased by Hyunjin, everyone was dressed in sports cloths and ready to start their training for the rescue mission. Chan walked ahead of the group, because he was seemingly the only one who knew where they were training. Felix walked beside Jeongin and had casually taken the kitsune’s hand while wearing a little smile on his lips as they walked. Jeongin had nothing against the handholding, but he was more focused on Chan since he knew that the wolf hybrid still had wounds from the fight with the hunters at the moon pack houses. </p><p>“Chan-hyung?”, the kitsune spoke up, trying to gain the silver-haired male’s attention. “Yeah?”, the older replied, glancing over his shoulder back to Jeongin. </p><p>“Are you going to be fine when you train? I mean you are technically still wounded”, the kitsune asked rather frankly, but openly showed a bit of worry. Chan lightly giggled and let himself fall back a little, so he was walking beside Felix and Jeongin. </p><p>“I’ll be fine. Sicheng gave me a special potion brewed by your spells and potions teacher Mr. Lee. It seemed like those two are working together when it comes down to the medical stuff”, Chan explained while he tried to let the part with the “medical stuff” sound lighthearted. Jeongin silently appreciated that the older tried to be optimistic, but he knew all too well that those potions were also a preparation for rescue mission, may it be for the ones held captive or the ones that won’t make it out without a wound. </p><p>Subconsciously Jeongin tightened his grip on Felix’s hand, because a part of him knew that the cat hybrid as well as the other members of Stray Kids could return from the mission wounded or worse, dead. </p><p>Felix lightly bumped into Jeongin’s side, making the kitsune automatically look at him. The cat hybrid showed the blond a bright, sunshine smile that told him not to worry. It was really magical how Felix could remain positive even in such a situation, but Jeongin knew that even the ginger could feel hopeless. It made it even more admirable that right now he chose to be optimistic. </p><p>“Okay you two. Spill the tea. What happened yesterday?”, Jisung suddenly chimed in, popping up between the two and slinging an arm around Jeongin and Felix. It forced the two to let go of each other’s hand. If Jeongin hadn’t been a kitsune his face would be red by now. Only for the sake of not getting teased did the kitsune quickly build up a little facade to cover up everything that was indicating he was flustered. </p><p>The kitsune looked past Jisung to Felix to check how the ginger was reacting to this, since he had no clue what to do if he was honest with himself. He really wasn’t good with crushes or relationships or whatever was related to all of that. </p><p>Felix looked back at the kitsune with a silent question in his eyes. Jeongin knew that the ginger was asking for his consent to the others what they had figured out just yesterday evening. Well, Jeongin had known for a longer period of time but Felix realized it yesterday. The kitsune had no need to think about telling the others for long, so he just gave Felix a little nod, permitting him to say it, because for the love of all gods he had no idea how to formulate it himself. </p><p>“Well, yesterday we figured out that Jeongin is my mate”, Felix said like he had prepared that line, but it sounded clear and confident nonetheless. Jisung’s jaw dropped in an instant. It was seemingly the last thing he had expected Felix to say. </p><p>“Wait... you kissed?!”, that was Minho from behind them. He sounded like he just had a realization and didn’t know whenever he should be worried, protective over his little brother or just surprised. Jeongin hoped dearly he was just surprised, because otherwise he would have to stay away from Felix for the rest of his life. </p><p>Chan along with Changbin were the calmest ones out of the whole group. They just seemed to be happy for Felix and Jeongin. Hyunjin on the other hand was obviously occupied with having the realization that he could see mate bonds with his siren ability. Funny that Jeongin figured that out before him. </p><p>At the moment, Jeongin was beyond glad to be a kitsune. Otherwise everyone would be able to see his tomato red face. Still, he wished Jisung and Minho weren’t there because they surely wouldn’t shut up about this for the whole day. Maybe Hyunjin will join them just for the sake of teasing Jeongin. </p><p>“Wait if Hyunjin joins Minho and Jisung in teasing me he could tell everyone how long I had a crush on Felix!”, Jeongin realized silently. He would never hear the end of this that was for sure. </p><p>“Alright everyone calm down”, Chan calmed everyone down (primarily Minho and Jisung). Jeongin silently thanked his hyung for that and tried hard to get back to being normal again, so he could let his facade fall again. </p><p>The kitsune glanced to the side and saw that Felix was blushing a bit, but he also had this proud, adorable grin on his lips. It made Jeongin’s heart skip a beat. Goodness gracious Felix was just overall beautiful and adorable. </p><p>“To the gods. I mean I knew you had a thing for each other but you being mates was kind of a surprise. Is that normal by the way? To have so many friends that already found their mate?”, Jisung stated and looked for the last part from Minho to Chan. Both hybrids had no answer to that and carefully shook their heads. </p><p>Jeongin couldn’t help but chuckle at his hyungs’ cluelessness but he really asked himself what kind of luck they had that every hybrid in Stray Kids had found their mate within the group. The kitsune wasn’t going to complain though, since being Lee Felix’s mate was something he hadn’t even dreamed of. </p><p>After that little incident, Chan ushered them to the main trainings hall since now they were officially late. In front of the trainings hall they were met with Taeyong and another man Jeongin didn’t know. He had black hair, wore rather formal cloths and didn’t have a special scent, which left Jeongin absolutely clueless about his species. A glance to Chan was enough to tell that at least the wolf hybrid knew the other male. </p><p>“Sorry that we are late”, Chan immediately apologized, making the rest feel a bit bad because that was on all of them, but Chan still took the responsibility for it. Taeyong and the unknown male shook their head, dismissing the topic instantly. </p><p>“For the ones who don’t know him this is Im Jaebum, the leader of GOT7 and a barrier mage”, Taeyong quickly introduced the unknown male beside him. Jaebum showed a little, polite smile before Taeyong continued to talk, telling each member of Stray Kids where to go specifically for today. </p><p>Felix, Minho, Changbin and Chan had to go to the main trainings hall while Jeongin and Hyunjin were lead to a smaller one by Jaebum. Jisung had to follow Taeyong to another hall where all the magical creatures, who were supposed to master the portal spell, were. </p><p>Jeongin walked behind Jaebum with Hyunjin by his side. Even though he had talked about it with Felix, a part of him still felt guilty about not participating in the rescue mission. Since he was little, he was told he was a gifted magic user and an even better illusionist, but now he cowardly didn’t put his talents into use for the greater good. </p><p>Hyunjin gently elbowed Jeongin, successfully ripping the kitsune out of his thoughts. The blond looked at his cousin and only saw the siren smiled cheekily, making the kitsune scoff, thinking Hyunjin wanted to annoy him. Still, he silently thanked him for wanting to cheer him up. </p><p>The hall, which Jaebum lead them to, was filled with creature, who weren’t participating in the rescue mission, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t be prepared. Jeongin almost immediately spotted Yedam among some children that were probably from the moon pack. The oldest of them seemed to be just around Yedam’s age and the youngest probably just learned how to shift into a wolf. </p><p>While looking around a bit more, Jeongin noticed the lack of magical creatures here but well NCT could only save wolf hybrids and werewolves from the moon pack until now. Jeongin along with Ms. Hwang were probably the only “rescued” magical creatures here. </p><p>Talking about Ms. Hwang, Jeongin wasn’t able to spot his aunt anywhere in the hall, but after looking around a bit more he found her. She was talking to a woman, who sat in a wheelchair, on the far end of the hall. </p><p>“Wonho and Jinyoung should be here as soon as possible then you can start training officially”, Jaebum spoke up, looking at Jeongin and Hyunjin. Both teenagers nodded and thanked GOT7’s leader politely before they walked further into the hall, not really knowing where to go. </p><p>“Hyungs”, Yedam called and quickly ran up to them with a smile on his lips. The boy was followed by the children he was standing with earlier. Just by the scent Jeongin could confirm that all of them were wolf hybrids and werewolves from the moon pack. </p><p>“Yedam-oppa. Will they train with us?”, a little girl to Yedam’s right asked. She quickly glanced at Hyunjin and Jeongin with her dark eyes before looking back up to Yedam. Jeongin estimated that she must be around six years old, but she could be younger too. </p><p>“I guess so”, Yedam answered the little girl and patted her head. The little girl didn’t react to that and turned her head to straight up stared at Jeongin. The kitsune normally really liked children, but that little girl creeped him out a little. He couldn’t really read her since she was so focused on him, but he didn’t comment it, internally hoping that she would just stop it on her own. </p><p>“I can’t smell what they are”, the little girl groaned in frustration, making Yedam as well as the other young werewolves and wolf hybrids laugh. Jeongin couldn’t help but chuckle at the little girl’s frustration. So that was the reason she stared at him like he had grown a second head. </p><p>Hyunjin was chuckling too, but then crouched down to be face to face with the little girl, who ruffled her hair while grumbling incomprehensibly. “Want to guess what we are?”, he asked the little girl, smiling a little bit. The girl immediately got red cheeks and hid behind Yedam’s leg, making Hyunjin pout. Jeongin silently laughed at his cousin for his failed attempted to befriend the little girl. </p><p>“Can I guess?”, a little boy asked, raising his hand like he was in school. He seemed to be around seven years old and had messy dark brown hair that was falling into his face, almost hiding his big, dark brown eyes. </p><p>“Go ahead”, Jeongin encouraged the little boy, since Hyunjin was still pouting like he was a preschooler. The little boy mustered Hyunjin and Jeongin quickly before he gave his answer. </p><p>“The tall one his a nymph and you are a warlock”, the little boy guessed, looking at Jeongin with hopeful, wide eyes to see if he was correct or not. The kitsune had to give it to him that he guessed pretty well in Hyunjin’s case since nymphs and sirens were pretty similar in some aspects and even Jeongin being a warlock wasn’t that far from the truth. </p><p>“Almost. I’m a kitsune and my friend here is a siren”, Jeongin gave the children the answer, receiving a rather mixed reaction from the little ones. Some looked at them with a fascination that you could think they were aliens and some’s jaws just dropped. </p><p>“Pretty cool, huh?”, Yedam commented and basically everyone nodded in agreement, making Jeongin and Hyunjin smile a little bit. That was probably one of the best reactions they got when they told a group of people what they were. </p><p>“So you can like manipulate anyone?”, a girl from the back of the group asked Hyunjin with sparkling eyes. The boy beside her lightly punched her shoulder, mumbling something about her being rude. The girl immediately seemed apologetic.</p><p>“Well, I can do a lot more than that”, Hyunjin mused, finally standing back up. The group of youngsters just awed at that and immediately wanted a demonstration. Hyunjin looked over to Jeongin obviously being a bit unsure if they should demonstrate their powers or wait until the training started. Before Jeongin could help his struggling cousin, he was interrupted by a female voice. </p><p>“Children the training will start soon enough, so be a bit more patient”, the voice said. Jeongin turned around to his aunt, who was pushing the woman in the wheelchair towards the group. The kitsune could tell immediately that the unknown woman was a wolf hybrid by her scent. </p><p>“Yes, ma’am”, the children answered, making Jeongin believe that this woman must have some authority. The woman had long brown hair, that was braided, dark brown eyes and a rather round face that made her look younger than she probably was. Her legs were covered under a blanket and she had her hands folded on her lap, but something about her posture told Jeongin that she hadn’t been sitting in a wheelchair for long. </p><p>“You two took your time coming here”, Ms. Hwang commented, looking at Hyunjin and Jeongin with a light frown on her face. Both boys remembered in that instant that Ms. Hwang hated it if people were too late. </p><p>“We got held up a bit”, Jeongin answered, hoping that she would go easy on them. Luckily, Ms. Hwang couldn’t say another word before the woman in the wheelchair chimed in. </p><p>“So those are your two boys”, she said, sounding rather excited, which to an certain extent confused Jeongin. A glance at Hyunjin and the kitsune knew his cousin was just as surprised as he was. </p><p>“They are. This is my son Hyunjin and my nephew Jeongin”, Ms. Hwang answered, introducing them to the woman in the wheelchair. Both boys greeted the woman in a polite manner like they were taught, making the unknown woman smile a bit. </p><p>“You must be a bit confused because of me. I apologize for that. I’m Keon Hana from the moon pack”, the woman introduced herself and finally gave away why she seemed like and authority figure. She must be related to the moon pack leader Keon Yun, but the kitsune still asked himself how his aunt knew her. Before Jeongin could even think about asking about that, Wonho along with another male entered the hall, announcing that the training was going to start.</p>
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<a name="section0071"><h2>71. Partners</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>First day of training for the members of Stray Kids. The Kim brothers arrive late, Changbin trains with Changkyun and Jisung struggles with the portal spell and his partner.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m still not happy about you training”, Wonpil commented while walking beside Seungmin to the trainings hall for magical creatures. It was the third time the older demon had said this after Seungmin had declared he would join the training no matter what. </p><p>“I feel fine, hyung and should something come up will I be able to handle it or at least get you. So stop worrying so much”, Seungmin huffed in light annoyance. He loved his brother, he really did, but right now the last thing Seungmin wanted to do was nothing. May his moral compass be damned. </p><p>“Still, you shouldn’t use your magic”, Wonpil continued. It was probably the first time ever Wonpil agreed with something Lilith had said in the older’s entire life. Byungho and Woosu had given up on intervening in this little discussion, because unlike Wonpil they had realized that Seungmin would train, not matter what they said. Still, the redhead knew they were still worried about him and silently thanked them for it, even though he really felt like nothing had happened. </p><p>Another thing Seungmin was thankful for was the fact that his father wasn’t the  most attentive parent and therefore didn’t question what his children were really doing. It was the reason they were at the headquarter, since Seungmin wasn’t sure if they would be if Lucifer hadn’t once again teleported his four sons here by request. </p><p>Seungmin swore it amused his father endlessly that they had to rely on his help, which was why at some point the redhead swore to himself that he would try to figure out an alternative. Maybe Woosu knew how to perform a teleportation spell and could teach him. Right now, Seungmin hated it that he never learned spells like that by himself. It would have come in handy in so many situations, but no he rather focused on things he could directly use for pranks. Goodness, he should have used his talent differently back in his school days. </p><p>When the four brothers arrived at the trainings hall and you could already hear spells being performed without entering the room. They knew where they needed to head, because Jisung told them as requested by Chan. Apparently Stray Kids had been split up into three groups. Maybe now it was even four if Changbin had to train with his vampire hyungs. </p><p>Seungmin still disliked the thought of Changbin having to lead a group of vampires plus Wonpil. Of course, all the vampires, which Changbin should lead, were more or less professional or familiar with him, but it just didn’t sit well with him for a reason he couldn’t explain himself. </p><p>The four brothers entered the hall carefully, because no one wanted to be accidentally hit by any kind of spell that was trained in there. The hall was filled with magical creatures that either trained creating portals or combat related spells. </p><p>Seungmin almost immediately spotted Jisung’s mop of blue hair standing beside a fairy with white wings. They seemingly trained creating portals since Yuta, who seemingly taught it to them, had a little portal beside him and apparently was explaining some things, judging by the way he was gesturing a lot towards the purple swirl of magical energy. </p><p>The redhead was just a bit confused about the male standing next to Jisung, since the young demon couldn’t remember ever seeing that male or maybe he did and just forgot? No, he wouldn’t forget a fairy with pink hair, since despite popular believes they weren’t really common. Maybe that was Park Jimin from BTS the person Jisung was supposed to work with for the rescue mission. </p><p>“What are you looking at?”, Wonpil asked, following Seungmin’s gaze until he saw Jisung, Yuta and the pink-haired fairy. “Woah Jimin seems almost tall next to Jisung” the older demon commented, confirming the name of the fairy unintentionally. At first Seungmin was satisfied with knowing who the person beside Jisung was, but then he questioned why his brother knew him. </p><p>“How do you know Jimin?”, Seungmin asked, looking at his older brother. “Same university. We walked by each other a few times, but basically everyone at the university knows him so catching his name isn’t that hard”, Wonpil explained, shrugging. </p><p>“Shouldn’t we like do something?”, Woosu chimed in, looking at his two demonic brothers with a bit of insecurity in his eyes. Seungmin automatically started to look around, searching for Taeyong, since the red-haired guardian has always been the one to organize stuff like that, but maybe he was busy now. The four brothers were fashionably late, after all. </p><p>“I will search for Youngjae. He should be here somewhere and know what to do”, Wonpil suggested, but before he could start searching for his university friend someone noticed them. It was a tall male with rather broad shoulders and bleached blond hair. Seungmin remembered him from the day of the war declaration. His name was Matthew but apparently was also called BM. As far as Seungmin was aware he and Taeyong were both guardians and therefore held the same kind of status, but the first time the redhead had seen Matthew he had been a bit hotheaded. </p><p>“A little late, huh?”, Matthew asked in a teasing manner, obviously not wanting to call them out for not being on time. Without really waiting for the four brothers to respond, the guardian asked them to just follow him. He seemed pretty relaxed, which was contrast to Seungmin’s first expression of him, but the redhead knew better than to underestimate a person. Matthew was probably just as strong as Taeyong. Maybe he was even stronger depending on his ability. </p><p>Matthew lead the Kim brothers a little deeper into the trainings hall and managed to dodge every magical creature that was training combat skills. Looking past the guardian, Seungmin could see Taeyong training with Renjun, Haechan and NCT’s Jisung. Just by watching the four of them for a few seconds, Seungmin could tell that they worked together perfectly. They have reached the point where they automatically cancelled each other’s weaknesses out and worked together like one being. It was just remarkable to watch if Seungmin was honest. </p><p>“I found the magical creatures you were missing”, Matthew announced when they were close enough to Taeyong. The red-haired warlock turned his head around and looked at the approaching group, seeming a bit relieved but it didn’t last long. </p><p>“It seems like they brought someone along too”, Taeyong commented, looking past Seungmin to Woosu. Seungmin could see that the older male was a bit guarded today, but it was probably due his tiredness. It didn’t take an excellent observation skill to see that Taeyong was exhausted. Seungmin really hoped that this didn’t cloud his judgement of Woosu. </p><p>“This is Kim Minseok or Woosu. He is a skilled warlock and our brother”, Byungho introduced Woosu. Woosu, as polite as he always was, did a little bow towards Taeyong when he was introduced and greeted NCT’s leader properly. Seungmin could sense that Woosu was nervous without looking at the warlock, which probably wasn’t beneficial for the situation, but there was nothing he could do about it right now. </p><p>“A warlock, huh”, Taeyong sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, thinking. Seungmin couldn’t detected whenever that was a good or bad sign, but he hoped for a good one. They needed magical creature for the rescue mission, so letting Woosu help would be beneficial for everyone, right? </p><p>“Seems like the gods send you right on time. We could really need another warlock”, the guardian stated, letting his hands drop from his face, so he could look at the Kim brothers once more. Seungmin quietly let a the breath escape he did know the was holding. Despite his exhaustion Taeyong looked kind of relieved and so did Matthew, who had seemed a bit confused when his fellow guardian reacted strangely to Woosu. </p><p>Seungmin was glad that Taeyong had no problem with his brother participating in the rescue mission. After all, Woosu did train his magical abilities for his whole life. Now he could finally put that knowledge to good use. </p><p>“Did you tell him everything he needs to know?”, Taeyong asked, looking at Seungmin, Wonpil and Byungho. The three did catch Woosu up on the basics of the plan and how everything here worked more or less, but nothing more specific. After all, they didn’t want to risk giving him false information and they had a bit of a time problem too. </p><p>“We told him the basics, yes”, Wonpil answered. Taeyong nodded and seemed to think of something before he spoke. “I will catch him up on the rest then while the rest you starts training”, the guardian suggested. The three Kim brothers nodded in agreement. Taeyong looked at Matthew, who then lead Wonpil, Byungho and Seungmin to another part of the hall while Woosu walked along with Taeyong. </p><p>Seungmin glanced over his shoulder to see the white-haired warlock was leaving the hall with Taeyong. He hoped his brother would be able to handle everything on his own, bit for now he should concentrate on his training, so he wouldn’t mess up on the rescue mission. Hopefully, he would be able to learn the things he needed as fast as he did usual, even with a confused moral compass. </p><p>The redhead took a breath and then looked forward. He shouldn’t be so worried. A confused moral compass couldn’t do anything to his magical abilities and mind, right? He knew how to create small portals for objects, so he would master the same for people in no time. He will do just fine as always. </p><p>——————————</p><p>“And dodge”, Changkyun instructed, verbally guiding Changbin through the move they were training. The young royal did just as instructed and dodged the blow from the older by ducking away. </p><p>If somebody would watch them they would think Changbin ad Changkyun were fighting like normal creatures in a rather fast pace, but the catch was they were slow for vampires. Normally vampires fought at a pace that was sometimes hard to follow for the human eye. </p><p>“Good job, Binnie”, Changkyun complimented the younger with a grin while pulling his arms back to him. Changbin straighten his back and resumed his previous position. They have been training in this “slow” pace for a while now and at some point Changbin began to question the use of it. Up until now the young royal vampire had went through a lot of fighting routines that specialized on dodging and then hitting the target with one strong blow. It would probably knock out any human easily. </p><p>Changbin knew that it was a good preparation for the most part and that Changkyun taught him those routines for a purpose, but in which realistic fights would those practiced routines come in handy? If Changbin had learned something over the last few weeks, then that nothing happened like planned. </p><p>“Can we pick up the pace now, so we can put those routines to practical use?”, Changbin requested, which earned him a chuckle from Changkyun. The older vampire was clearly amused and the young uncrown king guessed it was because of him getting impatient. </p><p>“If you want to get your ass kicked, sure. I will use human speed and try to fight like a hunter, just without a weapon”, the older suggested and cracked his knuckles before he got into a fighting position. Changbin felt a bit teased by the older, but he didn’t want to let that get the better of him for the sake of proofing the other wrong. After all, Changbin knew that Changkyun was a very smart and skilled fighter, otherwise, he wouldn’t have worked for his parents at such a young age.</p><p>Changbin readied himself and didn’t let Changkyun out of his eyes. Without any kind of warning, the older vampire immediately aimed for the younger’s stomach. Changbin couldn’t fully understand why Changkyun was going for such an easily avoidable blow and tried to dodge to the side, but the next thing he knew was that he stumbled over something and barely managed to keep his balance. </p><p>“And you lost”, Changkyun mused when he steadied the younger vampire by grappling his arm. Changbin huffed and internally cursed himself for really believing that Changkyun would actually stick to the things they had previously trained, but he had a good reason for that. The older fought in human speed and still managed to take Changbin off guard. If something like that had happened with a real hunter Changbin would probably be dead now. </p><p>Changbin frowned lightly while trying to come up with a method to counter such tricks effectively. He should not be taken off guard so easily in a real fight. </p><p>“Don’t look so frustrated. We’re still training, alright? We can go again”, Changkyun said and patted Changbin’s shoulder. The younger vampire looked up to the older and was met with an encouraging smile. </p><p>“Then let’s try this again”, Changbin answered with a nod and resumed his position. He would do better this time. Changkyun grinned a bit and took some steps back, also resuming his position. Again without warning, Changkyun took the initiative and attacked but this time Changbin was ready for anything. </p><p>He dodged Changkyun’s feint and managed to jump back giving him more room as well as a better view on Changkyun. The young vampire quickly searched for an opening in the other’s defense just like they had trained earlier. If he found one he could win with one strike, but there was no obvious opening. </p><p>“Stop thinking for so long”, Changkyun said while he tried to knock Changbin off his feet with a kick. The younger once again dodged and quickly jumped back. This was harder than he thought. Hunters were skilled fighters with all sorts of weapons and knew a lot about supernatural creatures. The only way to defeat them quickly was to outsmart them and be faster than they expected you to be. </p><p>Changbin wanted to facepalm when he realized that he should put his speed to better use. Without hesitating and thinking any further, Changbin backed off once more, so he had more room before he quickly got behind Changkyun, trying to punch the other’s back. The older managed to dodge to the side, making Changbin almost stumble forward. </p><p>The younger caught himself early enough to dodge another blow from Changkyun by diving forward and quickly regaining his posture again. This was so much harder than he had ever imagine it to be. Normally, Changbin was a very good fighter, because he had been taught to defend himself since he was young. He was also bit faster and stronger than an average vampire, but he obviously lacked practical experience unlike Changkyun and probably every hunter out there. </p><p>“Harder than you thought, huh?”, Changkyun asked with a bit of humor, but he didn’t let his guard down one bit to Changbin’s dismay. “Definitely”, the younger vampire nodded. The older grinned a bit and a part of Changbin hoped that now he could spot an opening but he didn’t. For once Changkyun waited for Changbin to attack but didn’t dare to make it easy for him. </p><p>“Wait. That’s the point. There is no opening in his defense because I need to create one”, the young king realized quietly. A bit of a smile made it’s way onto Changbin’s lips when he finally figured out what Changkyun really wanted him to do and came up with a little plan. </p><p>The young vampire once again tried attacking with his speed, but this time it was his feint. He pretended to aim for Changkyun’s legs, but actually he wanted to hit the other’s side. The older fell for Changbin’s feint, creating a small opening in his defense when he tried to dodge the incoming blow and then strike back.</p><p>In the matter of a split second, Changbin used that small opening and lightly punched Changkyun in the side, but at the same moment he could feel how his left arm was grabbed. Without thinking, Changbin pulled his left arm to himself, turning Changkyun towards him and then letting his right fist come pretty close to the other’s face. </p><p>“That was excellent”, Changkyun praised with a wide grin on his face, even though Changbin’s fist hovered in front of his face. The younger vampire let his hand drop and Changkyun let go of Changbin’s left arm, so they could stand normally again. </p><p>“You would have won that one for sure”, the older said, ruffling the smaller male’s hair. Changbin scrunched up his nose, pretending to not like being treated like a small child, but he couldn’t help the smile forming on his lips. It wasn’t like he had never been praised before, but it felt different coming from Changkyun since he wasn’t someone who would do it just to motivate others. No, when Changkyun praised someone he meant it. </p><p>“Can we do it again?”, Changbin asked, trying his best to not sound too eager. Changkyun grinned again and took his hand off Changbin’s head before he agreed. </p><p>—————————</p><p>“Alright Jisung. Let’s try this again. This time think a bit bigger”, Jimin instructed and created a portal, which was big enough to let two people pass through easily. Jisung, who stood some meters away from Jimin, nodded and tried to concentrated again. </p><p>It wasn’t so long ago that Yuta had left the two to train by themselves. Jimin had already mastered the portal spell, but that hadn’t surprised Jisung at all since the other was older than him and probably knew a lot of other spells the young warlock had never heard about. Besides, Jimin was the only creature in his group that was able to create portals, so he probably learned it a long time ago, since it was quite useful for his group. </p><p>Jisung felt sorry for the fairy, because he was stuck with a beginner like him, who still needed to master the spell. Still, just mastering the spell wasn’t everything. Jisung and Jimin had to be able to connect and synchronize their portals in order to keep them open longer and more stable, since they needed to remain open even if Zendala should try to hijack them.</p><p>The young warlock took a breath, looked at Jimin’s portal and then began mumbling the spell for his portal. He reached out his hand and began to make barely noticeable circling motions with his pointer finger. Slowly a little blue swirling pool appeared in front of him, growing with every second that passed. He needed to make it just as big as Jimin’s and then try to synchronize it. </p><p>Slowly the portal reached the requested size, but Jisung could already feel that it wasn’t really stable just like the previous once. It felt like it was wobbly to the young warlock, even though you couldn’t see that something was wrong with it. Jisung tried to put more of his magical energy into it to stabilize the whole thing, but that just cause it to get a tad bigger. </p><p>“I will try to connect them now”, Jimin stated. “No, wait”, Jisung called out to the older. His portal wasn’t stable enough for a synchronization just yet. Just one second of Jisung being inattentive was enough for the portal to collapse. It puffed and became light blue magical dust, which snowed onto the ground, disappearing within seconds. Jisung groaned and let his shoulders slumped. He failed. Again. </p><p>The warlock ruffled his dark blue hair in frustration and didn’t dare to look Jimin’s way. The other was probably disappointed and slowly getting annoyed. Jisung wouldn’t even be surprised if the fairy asked himself why he was stuck with Jisung.</p><p>“By all the gods, why can’t I do this?”, Jisung asked himself quietly, looking at his feet. He had already studied the portal spell in a smaller proportion. He should know how this worked and he should be able to do it, but it was just so hard. </p><p>“Should we take a break?”, Jimin spoke up next to him. Jisung jumped back in surprise. When had the fairy walked up next to him? The young warlock’s expression mirrored the one of a scared cat just a bit funnier when he stared at the male with the pink hair with wide eyes. Jimin looked at him with his head a bit tilted to the right. His eyes shimmered a bit in the color of his wings. </p><p>“N-no, we can continue if you want”, Jisung answered with a little stutter while trying to recover from his shocked state. “Alright then”, Jimin shrugged and went back to his position. Yeah, Jisung was pretty sure Jimin didn’t like him for multiple reasons. </p><p>They tried the whole thing again. Jisung was able to keep his portal more or less stable, but when they tried to connect the portals they both imploded, covering Jimin and Jisung in a mix of blue and white magical dust. </p><p>Jisung ruffled his hair to get the dust out. He really hoped the ground would just swallow him. Why couldn’t he get this right? They have been here for hours and still had no results to show. Time wasn’t on their side either, so they needed to master this as quickly as possible, but at this pace they won’t be able to help anyone and that was Jisung’s fault. </p><p>“You two will use up all your magical energy if you continue like that”, a voice spoke up behind Jisung, ripping the boy out of his thoughts and startling him at the same time. The young warlock turned around and was met with his spells and potions teacher, Mr. Lee, or Minhyuk as he likes to be called outside of his lessons.</p><p>“Do you know a different way to do this?”, Jimin asked in a neutral voice while walking up to Minhyuk and Jisung. The glimmer in the fairy’s eyes was hard to describe. He looked like he wanted to hear Minhyuk’s advice, but was also absolutely ready fight, which confused Jisung a lot. Still, the young warlock hoped that his teacher could help them, so they could finally have some sort of result. </p><p>“Well, Yuta may be a genius of a magical creature, but he isn’t the best teacher if what I saw are the results of his teaching”, Minhyuk lightly joked, looking at both Jisung and Jimin. Jisung ducked a bit under his teacher’s gaze, knowing that his performance really wasn’t the best until Minhyuk laid his hand onto his shoulder and continued talking. </p><p>“For one part, Jisung”, the older warlock looking at the a bit smaller male. “Don’t focus so hard on the stability of the portal. That may sound stupid right now, but try to just picture a perfect portal in your mind and let your magic do the rest”, Minhyuk explained. Jisung looked at his teacher and nodded, being really glad that the more experienced warlock could help him. </p><p>“And the synchronization requires a bit of trust in each other’s abilities”, the warlock ended, letting his gaze wander to Jimin and then back to Jisung. The fairy with the pink hair crossed his arms over his chest and didn’t say anything. Jisung felt like the other was signaling that he didn’t trust in his abilities at all. It stung a little bit, but Jisung could understand why, since their first meeting wasn’t the very best, even though it was their boyfriend’s that clashed together and not them.</p><p>“It’s not that easy. I know that, but it’s important”, Minhyuk emphasized and let his hand drop from Jisung’s shoulder, so he could walk into the middle of the little training space Jimin and Jisung occupied ever since they were paired up together. Jimin sighed a bit and resumed his previous position while Jisung stayed in his spot. The young warlock was unsure of what to do until Minhyuk spoke up. </p><p>“Try the whole thing again and remember what I told you”, Minhyuk reminded them. Jisung nodded into his teacher’s direction and then focused on Jimin. The fairy still seemed a bit annoyed by the whole thing, but there was also a determination in him that made Jisung believe they could manage to have trust in each other. After all, they have the same goal, which was rescuing the ones who were captured by the hunters. </p><p>Jisung took a breath before he began casting the portal spell again. He pictured a perfect portal in his mind and tried to let his magic do the rest. The portal build itself up and grew while continuing to remain stable unlike the other times. Jisung didn’t dare to be happy about that just yet and continued to concentrate on the picture in his mind until the portal had reached it’s requested size. </p><p>“Now close your eyes, picture the portal of the other before your closed eyes and trust in the other one without seeing him”, Minhyuk instructed in a calm voice to not startle the concentrated younger males </p><p>Jisung took another deep breath and closed his eyes. He replaced the picture of the perfect portal with Jimin’s and tried to slowly build up a connection, but he couldn’t feel the magical energy of the fairy’s portal. Was he doing something wrong? Just when that thought crossed his mind Jisung felt his portal wobble again and began to internally panic. He couldn’t mess this up again!</p><p>“Jisung, stay calm. You can do this. Have a bit more faith in your own abilities”, he heard Minhyuk’s voice remind him. The young warlock took a shaky breath and concentrated on Jimin’s portal once more. He slowly let his magic search for the other, but he still couldn’t find a connection to the fairy’s portal. </p><p>“Trust in each other’s abilities, alright?”, Minhyuk instructed, calmly. Slowly Jisung managed to be able to feel the other’s portal. It was a lot more stable than his own and felt like it was kind of faster, but slowly the fairy’s portal calmed down, matching the speed of his own until Jisung had the feeling something clicked. </p><p>“Good job you two”, Minhyuk praised. Jisung opened his eyes and saw that his portal had changed it’s colors a little bit. Previously it was a mix of different shades of blue, but now a lot of white  was swirling in it’s center. </p><p>The young warlock took his hand down and looked to his teacher, who lightly smiled at him. Jisung couldn’t help but smile back and then look over to Jimin. The fairy with the pink hair didn’t look his way, but rather mustered the portal in front of him with a blank expression. </p><p>“We did it”, Jisung said out loud, gaining Jimin’s attention. The fairy finally looked the warlock’s way with the ghost of a smile on his lips. “We did”, he nodded. It was enough for Jisung to smile a bit brighter. Maybe they didn’t get along well, but they could work together. With that in mind, the young warlock turned to his teacher. </p><p>“Thanks a lot, Mr. Lee”, he thanked the older warlock, doing a little bow. Minhyuk laughed and shook his head with a smile. </p><p>“I told you to call me Minhyuk out of class. I’m not so old, alright”, the older complained, but with humor in his voice. Jisung showed the older one of his bright smiles and then turned back to the portal. He could try walking through it now. It was stable and connected to Jimin’s, after all. </p><p>“Can I walk though it?”, Jisung asked for permission while looking over to Jimin. The fairy seemed a bit surprised at first but then nodded. Without thinking any longer about it, Jisung stepped through the portal. The next thing he knew was that he stood beside Jimin. He quickly turned around a looked back at the portal. It looked like his but with the difference that it was mainly white with a lot of blue swirls in it. </p><p>“This is so amazing”, Jisung mumbled to himself. He felt relieved and proud at the same time. Now they just needed to train creating the portals on bigger distances and then they would be good to go. </p><p>“Minhyuk”, somebody called the older warlock. Jisung recognized the voice as Taeyong’s and looked around a bit to spot the red-haired guardian. It didn’t take long to spot NCT’s leader, but when Jisung saw who was at the guardian’s side his eyes widened a bit in surprise. Casually walking besides Taeyong was Woosu, Seungmin’s brother. What was he doing here? Did he suddenly take part in the rescue mission or was he here for a different reason? </p><p>Minhyuk walked over to Taeyong and Woosu, greeting the young leader and the seemingly a bit nervous warlock with a smile. Woosu returned the smile and did a little polite bow, which made Jisung remember that the young warlock had a pretty strict mother. Slowly, it dawned to him that Kim Athea was dead. She had been murdered by his biological mother.</p><p>“Let’s continue training”, Jimin spoke up beside him, ripping him out of his trance. Jisung ripped his gaze away from Taeyong, Woosu and Minhyuk and focused on his trainings partner. He should really keep his mind focused on mastering the portal spell and nothing else. </p><p>“Let’s do that”, the young warlock agreed with a nod and resumed his previous position.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0072"><h2>72. Simulation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minho, Felix and Chan train their abilities in a simulation.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Speeding through the trainings hall, Minho leaped over the small block in front of him and turned around mid air to simulate landing a hit on Donghun. The harpy backed off and came to a halt, looking quite surprised. </p><p>Minho slowly came to a stop too. He was slightly patting while he looked at Donghun, who had trained with him for the past hours. The harpy was teaching him to fight against hunters in the most efficient way possible, even though the plan of the rescue mission did not include intentional contact with any humans. </p><p>“I knew you were good at quick attacks that come out of nowhere, but I really didn’t see that blow coming at all”, the harpy admitted, rubbing his neck. Minho showed a bit of a smile, being proud of the fact that he managed to surprise an experienced fighter like Donghun. </p><p>“Hey, Donghun”, someone called for the harpy. Donghun as well as Minho looked towards the voice only to spot Junhee, who signaled them to come over to him. It seemed like they would change partners or trainings area, but Minho wasn’t sure since Junhee trained with an entirely other type of supernatural creature. </p><p>“Seems like we are needed”, Donghun said more to himself than Minho and started walking towards his leader. Minho followed the harpy, but glanced a bit sideways to see if Felix and Chan were training close by. Chan had been assigned to Miroh High’s mathematic teacher Mr. Sohn, better known as Shownu, since they both could transform into wolves. </p><p>Even though Shownu was a werewolf and not a wolf hybrid like Chan, he was probably the best fit for the silver-haired male. Felix was the one, who got even luckier, because he was training with Mr. Chae, or Hyungwon as they called him for now. Minho was almost a bit envious of his brother, because he knew that Hyungwon was a pretty strong snow leopard hybrid. There was no doubt that Minho would have loved to train with him, but the cat hybrid calmed himself with the thought that it was better for Felix. If the younger Lee brother trained with someone who was familiar with him, his training would be more efficient. </p><p>“What do you think about doing a little simulation? The shifters and hybrids against the ones with natural abilities, who are pretending to be hunters with weapons. We can observer possible weaknesses better that way”, Junhee explained when Donghun and Minho stood before him. If Minho was honest with himself he could use something like that right now, especially because he could try to perform combination attacks with Chan and Felix. </p><p>“Sounds like a plan. We just need to set up everything real quick then we can start”, Donghun agreed. In the span of some minutes everyone in the hall was informed about the simulation and stopped their current training to get ready for it. </p><p>The hall was transformed into a replica of some parts of the hunters headquarter by Yuta, who had quickly dropped by for that reason. The warlock must be very busy, because he immediately left after he had set everything up. The blocks, which usually served as obstacles, now were so high not even a highly trained cat hybrid could climb them up without difficulty. </p><p>The creatures that could shift and all the hybrids were gathered outside of this structure while the ones who already were experienced in fighting like Donghun, Shownu and Hyungwon were on top of the blocks observing their trainees. Minho guessed that the creatures who would represent the hunters were scattered inside the little replica of a hunters’ headquarter. </p><p>The cat hybrid looked around for a bit, searching for Chan and Felix, since he hadn’t seen them yet. He stood before one of the many entrances that lead into the maze of makeshift corridors and hoped it would be easier to spot his friend and brother.</p><p>“Hey Minho”, someone called for the cat hybrid from behind him. Minho turned around and saw Chan and Felix running towards him. They didn’t seem tired at all, despite the fact that they had been training for a few hours just like Minho. </p><p>“Am I the only one who feels kind of nervous?”, Felix asked, when he stood beside Minho. He looked at both Chan and his older brother, searching for some kind of sign that they were nervous too, but Minho didn’t feel nervous at all. It was just a simulation. You could almost call it a game, so there really was no need to nervous. <br/>“I’m feeling fine”, Minho shrugged and then looked at Chan. The wolf hybrid seemed calm, unlike Felix whose tail twitched like someone put it on fire. </p><p>“I feel a little anxious, but it will be fine as long as I’m not alone”, the wolf hybrid admitted, surprising Minho. Chan always seemed so calm and collected like he always knew what to do. Who would have thought a simulation could make him feel anxious?</p><p>“Alright everyone. We will start the simulation after the signal from Jun. Remember to keep yourselves in check in order to not hurt anyone. If someone’s gets touched on a vital area like the head, neck or heart they’re out. Everyone who is a hunter got a red band to make it easier to tell the difference between enemy and ally. I wish you all good luck”, Doyoung, who had one of the loudest voices as a banshee, explained to everyone in the hall. </p><p>Minho looked over to Felix and Chan, who were readying themselves to dash into the entrance before them. Chan was stretching a bit before he suddenly jumped forward. In the blink of an eye a normal sized wolf stood there. His fur was grey with a silver shimmer just like Chan’s hair. </p><p>This was probably the first time Minho had seen his hyung transform. No, it was the first time he had seen Chan transform and also one of the rare times he was this close to his fully shifted form. He will probably never stop thinking that seeing someone shift into their animal form was amazing. </p><p>“Woah, hyung. You look awesome as a wolf”, Felix complimented. Chan turned his head towards Felix and wagged his tail like a cute puppy despite him being a fully grown wolf. Felix’s entire face lit up like a Christmas tree and Minho had to refer from laughing, because his brother had the exact same look on his face when he saw a cute dog. It was very ironic that Felix, a cat hybrid, was kind of a dog lover. </p><p>“Concentrate, you two”, Minho chuckled and focused back on the entrance, waiting for the signal from Jun. Chan and Felix followed his example. Minho took a little breath and let more of his cat side take the lead, his eyes turned from dark brown to a piercing green and his senses became sharper in the same second. </p><p>The signal from Jun, a very loud whistle, came not shortly after Minho truly felt ready. The cat hybrid dashed forward, closely followed by his brother and Chan. The two cat hybrids moved through the corridors completely silent unlike Chan, whose claws were scratching the ground underneath him. It was something Minho would keep in mind, since even humans would be able to hear that in a quiet corridor. </p><p>Running around another corner, Minho picked up the scent of someone and immediately slowed down, making his two companions slow down too. Both had picked up the scent as well, trying to figure out, who it belonged to. </p><p>Minho felt like the scent was similar to the one of the sea, even though it was a lot sweeter and less salty. Judging by that, it must be a creature that originally lived in the ocean, therefore it wasn’t a hybrid or werewolf. The closet conclusion was that an ‘enemy’ was nearby. </p><p>“I think it’s a merman or mermaid”, Felix whispered, being barely audible, but Minho and Chan understood him perfectly. Chan pressed his nose into Felix side to get his attention and then did the same to Minho. When the wolf hybrid had the attention of both cat hybrids he moved his ears, signaling them that they should listen to their surroundings. It was funny how Minho and Felix understood their friend without having to use words, but it showcased their good communication as a group. </p><p>Concentrating on his cat ears, Minho tried to locate the other creature. He heard at least two people walking around. Judging by their slow pace they were patrolling the corridor not far from Minho, Felix and Chan. </p><p>“Why did we pick up one scent when two people are close by?”, Felix mumbled, mostly to himself. Minho couldn’t answer that question, so he kept silent. Maybe one of them was scentless or had such a faint and light scent that it was overpowered by the sea-like one. If it was the latter Minho could imagine that it was an elf, since they tended to have a barely recognizable scent. </p><p>“Let’s sneak up to them and use the element of surprise to get them out of the simulation”, Minho suggested quietly, looking to his brother and friend. Both nodded in agreement. Chan seemingly had an idea and nudged both Lee brothers forward, letting them take the lead once more while he stayed back. </p><p>Minho picked up on Chan’s strategy. The wolf hybrid knew that while Minho and Felix moved soundlessly he was a little louder, so he stayed back a little in order to not ruin their sneak attack. Maybe he even wanted to serve as a kind of back-up, since they were three against two. </p><p>The two cat hybrids started to move carefully and quietly, keeping their guard up and always listening to their surroundings. The sweet, sea-like scent got a bit stronger, but Minho could finally pick up a faint second scent, even though he couldn’t describe it or distinguish what creature it was. </p><p>When the three were one corner away from the “enemy”, Minho stopped and signaled Felix and Chan to wait for a short minute by raising his hand. The cat hybrid readied himself for a sprint and Felix followed his brother’s nonverbal command while Chan stayed a bit behind them, ready to dash forward if it was necessary. </p><p>Minho gave the signal to attack by putting his hand down and then rushing around the corner, surprising the two “hunters”, which were Jungwoo and Hendery. Without hesitating for a moment, Minho went straight for Jungwoo’s neck, touching it fast enough for the merman to barely be able to react. </p><p>“Oh man, really? Already?”, Hendery, who had been overwhelmed by Felix and Chan, whined. Minho looked beside him to see that Chan just let go of the elf’s wrist, which meant that Felix would have been out of the game if it wasn’t for the wolf hybrid. It seemed like their little strategy had worked perfectly. </p><p>“Woah you are good. We really didn’t see you coming at all”, Jungwoo admitted, letting himself slide down the wall. Minho smiled a bit at the compliment, knowing that Jungwoo and Hendery were probably a lot more skilled if they were allowed to use their powers. </p><p>Suddenly Minho’s cat ears perked up. The cat hybrid could hear fast footsteps approaching them. Felix and Chan had seemingly also heard it. Chan immediately started running and the Lee brothers followed close behind him, leaving Jungwoo and Hendery behind. </p><p>Chan lead the cat hybrids away from whoever was following them. Minho noticed that Chan chose a route where no fresh scent came from, probably trying to avoid anyone, who could be an possible enemy. </p><p>Suddenly a strong gush of wind blew past the three, bringing the fresh scents they have been trying to avoid to them. Minho immediately picked up the scent of a vampire, but it wasn’t Changbin or any vampire he was really familiar with, along with something that smelled like a combination of metal and fire. Minho felt like the second scent was familiar, but he couldn’t say why or from where he was supposed to know it.</p><p>“Should we continue running away or just face whatever is going on in the corridor ahead of us?”, Felix asked, lowly. Minho looked over to Chan, net being entirely sure of what to do. The wolf hybrid seemed to debate on what they should do too, but then quickly made up his mind and nodded into the direction from which the gush of wind had came. He obviously wanted them to head this way. The Lee brothers nodded in agreement and resumed to the strategy they had used to overwhelm Jungwoo and Hendery. Minho and Felix ran ahead silently and Chan followed them. </p><p>Minho took the lead again, knowing Felix wouldn’t do it and dashed down the corridor. The scents became even stronger until they turned on one corner and saw a little fighting scene. Minho finally knew why he had the feeling of knowing the scent, which was a mis of metal and fire. It belong to Leedo, the blond demi-dragon that used to be in his class. Leedo was quite busy giving the armed “hunter” Xiaojun, who was the vampire Minho had smelled, no opportunity to touch him by keeping him at distance with his big, white, leathery wings. </p><p>Xiaojun, whose “weapon” was a wooden sword, tried to land a hit on Leedo once more before he snapped his head around, spotting Minho, Felix and Chan. Minho didn’t loose any time and ran to Leedo’s aid with his brother close behind him. With the new enemies approaching, Xiaojun seemingly decided to bail by skillfully dodging both attacks from Felix and Minho, avoiding Chan and then running down the corridor as quickly as he could without using his supernatural speed. </p><p>“I’m pretty sure you let me die on purpose”, someone behind Leedo, started to whine. The demi-dragon seemed a bit amused and shook his head while Chan, Minho and Felix where a little confused. When Leedo folded his dragon wings onto his back another male was revealed. Leedo’s partner, a cat hybrid with brown cat ears and tail but lilac hair, was sitting on the ground with his arms crossed and was obviously sulking. Minho remember the name of the other cat hybrid to be Hwanwoong. He was another classmate of Minho and Chan.</p><p>Leedo wanted to reply to his partner’s accusation, but before he could he turned around like lighting and let his wings send another strong gush of wind down the corridor, knocking two “hunters” off their feet. Minho hadn’t  heard them coming at all but he immediately recognized one of the “hunters” as Xiaojun and the other one was YangYang, NCT’s wind mage, who was armed with a wooden bow, but no arrows. </p><p>“Try to get behind them”, Leedo suggested lowly, so Xiaojun and YangYang didn’t hear him. “Understood”, Minho mumbled as an answer and immediately turned to run back into the other direction with Felix and Chan following him while Leedo kept Xiaojun and YangYang at a certain  distance. </p><p>Minho wanted to do what Leedo said, since it sounded like a good plan, but then he heard the scratching of claws on the ground and something big heading their way. The cat hybrid barely managed to stop before a big black werewolf, followed by a brown wolf dashed past the corridor they were standing in. It didn’t take much to guess that they were running away from someone or something. Minho quickly took Felix’s wrist and dragged him into a side corridor out of sight of whoever was running after the werewolf and his companion. Chan stood beside them like a watchdog, holding his head up high while his ears twitched around trying to detect the danger. </p><p>“For the god’s sake could they not run this fast”, a familiar voice complained, breathlessly. It was Chenle. Carefully, Minho looked around the corner and saw the young banshee, standing bend over in exhaustion next to Jaemin, who had his hands on his hips and was breathing just as hard. Both of them had wooden swords as weapons.</p><p>“I hate not being able to use my abilities. It would be so much easier”, Jaemin said, lowly, probably because he knew his hyungs from NCT would be able to hear him otherwise. Minho retreated again and looked at his two group mates. He quickly gestured that they could sneak attack the two young NCT members. Felix gave his brother a little nod and so did Chan. </p><p>Minho raised his hand just like before, glanced around the corner to check if Chenle and Jaemin were still there and then he gave the signal to attack. He dashed around the corner, closely followed by Felix and targeted Jaemin. The naiad barely managed to dodge and stumbled backwards, giving Minho the opportunity to touch his chest. Jaemin groaned in frustration when he realized he was out of the game while Minho immediately turned around, seeing that his brother had managed to get Chenle, but again with a little help of Chan, who seemingly made the “kill”, because he stood on top of the young banshee while Felix was on the side. </p><p>“Why are we so damn unlucky”, Chenle complained, loudly while Chan let him sit up. The banshee pouted and crossed his arms, mumbling to himself about this whole thing being totally unfair. Minho did agree with the fact that Chenle and Jaemin were a bit unlucky, since Minho just noticed them being inattentive for a moment and took the chance to take them out. </p><p>“Well, maybe Mark-hyung or Xiaojun will avenge us”, Jaemin mumbled, dropping to the ground to sit cross legged. “Let them try”, Minho answered to that, smirking a little bit at the naiad before he began moving again. Felix and Chan followed close behind him. Despite them having lost some time Minho still wanted to see if they could help Leedo if the demi-dragon wasn’t out of the simulation yet. </p><p>Minho choose a path that would lead them back to the corridor where Leedo should be “fighting” with Xiaojun and YangYang, but when the trio got near their original destination they heard nothing. No voices, no fighting noises, they couldn’t even feel a brush of air passing them, which meant that either Leedo lost to the two younger NCT members, or he won and went ahead alone. </p><p>The trio sneaked forward, trying to not be detected or surprised by a sudden attack from a “hunter”. Minho tired to pick up certain scents or hear something, but nothing came to him that could be properly interpreted or be of any use. At that moment, Minho wished this would be a kind of game and not a simulation, because then there would maybe be a counter where you could see how many enemies and allies were still in the game. </p><p>Suddenly, Minho picked up a very quiet noise and immediately stopped moving. He let his cat ears twitch around trying to located the noise’s source, but he couldn’t really find it. The older cat hybrid looked to his two group mates, who had been alarmed by Minho’s behavior automatically. They seemed to not know what had alarmed Minho, judging by their concentrated, but also puzzled expression. </p><p>“Did I just imagine it?”, Minho internally asked himself and wanted to start moving again, but then they heard a werewolf howl not too far away from them. It sounded alarming, but Minho wasn’t sure what it meant, which let his head snap to Chan. The wolf hybrid stared straight ahead for a moment and then looked up to Minho. In the grey wolf’s dark eyes glimmered a little bit of determination along with something Minho would describe as the want to help.</p><p>“Take the lead”, Minho said and without hesitation Chan dashed forward letting the Lee brothers follow him. It didn’t take them long to get to a corridor that was a bigger than the other ones. You could say it was a main corridor, but right now it was a little battlefield for the remaining creatures in the simulation. </p><p>Minho’s eyes immediately fell onto a familiar white tiger with ice blue eyes, who stood beside a unusual large werewolf with dark brown fur and wild, yellow glowing eyes. It was Taehyung along with Jungkook, one of his group members. They were fighting against Xiaojun and YangYang, who apparently had really managed to take out Leedo, but they weren’t the only ones here. The werewolf and the wolf hybrid that had been chased by Chenle and Jaemin were here too, but the werewolf was already out, judging by the way he just sat there, watching his partner getting attacked by Yuchan, the youngest member of A.C.E, who seemingly was just as good at fighting as his hyungs. </p><p>While being focused on the fights in front of his eyes, Minho felt his instincts kick in. He jumped to the side, dodging a blow from someone behind him. The cat hybrid winced when his shoulder had  an uncomfortable encounter with the wall beside him, because of the sudden jump, but at least he wasn’t “dead”. Chan and Felix had reacted very quickly too, but the “hunters” that had been behind them still managed to “kill” the younger Lee brother. Felix scrunched up his nose in displeasure after Yukhei, the “hunter” that “killed” him, took his wooden sword away from the cat hybrid’s neck.  </p><p>Watching his brother in that moment wasn’t the best idea Minho ever had, because Mark, the other “hunter”, didn’t loose any time and wanted to take that opportunity to attack, but Minho was fast enough to dodge the blow by ducking away under it. Mark’s wooden sword hit the wall instead of the cat hybrid and Minho wanted to use that moment to quickly turn around and land a hit on Mark’s chest, but his hand only made contact with the wooden sword. </p><p>Minho let himself fall onto his back and kicked the wooden sword out of Mark’s hand. He rolled over and got back onto his feet within a second. The wooden sword fell onto the ground with a dull clanking sound, letting Minho know that it wasn’t in the other’s hand anymore and far enough away. </p><p>A quick glance to the side let Minho know that Chan was doing fine fighting Yukhei on his own and therefore concentrated on Mark. The siren seemingly had no issue with losing his weapon and kept his eyes on Minho. The cat hybrid waited for the other to attack first, knowing that he could react better that way, but then he saw Mark glance towards Chan and Yukhei. Was he just checking on his teammate or planing something?</p><p>Before Minho could answer that question for himself, Mark already gave him the answer by trying to touch his neck when he was inattentive for a short moment. Minho jumped to the side again and mentally reminded himself of the fact that Mark was an experienced siren and could probably shift his focus like he wanted with very little effort if he wasn’t careful. </p><p>The cat hybrid got ready for a counter attack, which included a feint he hoped would work, because he didn’t know how long he could stand his ground against the siren of NCT. He ducked a little bit and hoped that Mark would believe that he wanted go for a lower blow while in reality Minho wanted to jump and get Mark out of the simulation by touching his head. Without letting Mark too much time to prepare himself, Minho dashed forward, trying to make the siren believe he wasn’t going for his head. It seemed to work, since Minho saw a little shift in the siren’s defense. </p><p>Just before Minho was close enough he jumped up and touch the siren’s head, Mark grabbed his arm and ripped him out of the air, letting him stumble to the side with no kind of defense. For a moment Minho thought that was it, but then he felt a familiar presence behind him and automatically let himself drop to the ground. </p><p>A white shadow jumped over Minho, directly onto Mark, forcing the siren to let go of the cat hybrid’s arm and fall to the ground. It took Minho a moment to realize that it was a white tiger that had saved him. The creature stepped down from Mark, letting the siren sit up and rub his head. </p><p>The tiger looked over to Minho, who was still trying to understand what just happened. When the cat hybrid looked into the ice blue eyes of the tiger and once again remember who that was, he was confused all over again. Why in the world had Taehyung decided to save him of all people? They almost hated each other. Taehyung turned his head away and walked off, passing Minho without looking at him again. </p><p>“Alright guys. Good work. We are taking a break for now, so get yourselves something to eat and drink”, Doyoung announced loudly, letting the whole hall hear it. Minho only faintly registered it, being to occupied with questioning why the hell Taehyung had done what he had done. </p><p>“Minho? Are you okay?”, Minho heard someone ask him. The cat hybrid quickly shook his head to let his eyes focus and saw that Mark was standing in front of him, seemingly a bit worried. Felix was already coming over too. </p><p>“I’m okay. I just was a bit surprised”, Minho explained, letting a hand run through his hair, but immediately taking it out again after noticing how sweaty it was. Mark lightly laughed and lend the cat hybrid a hand. Minho took it and let Mark help him up. </p><p>“You were quite the challenge if I’m honest”, the siren commented with a little grin on his face when he let go of Minho’s hand. “Likewise”, the cat hybrid replied a bit cheekily, even though he knew Mark would have probably won if Minho hadn’t received help. </p><p>“Come on, you two. Let’s eat and drink something”, Felix, who was now standing by them, said and immediately took Minho’s hand. The older Lee brother looked around a bit searching for Chan’s wolf form. He found the other back in his human form talking to a brunette male. They seemed to know each other, judging by the friendly and familiar way they talked to each other. </p><p>Felix dragged Minho towards Chan and the brunette male, probably so he could grab the wolf hybrid too. They were soon enough noticed by the unknown male and Chan. </p><p>“Seems like your group mates are here to pick you up”, the unknown male said to Chan with a light grin on his face. He was pretty tall in comparison to Chan. The silver-haired wolf hybrid just smiled at that. “Minho, Felix I think I never introduced you to Bambam”, the wolf hybrid said, nodding towards the male beside him. Both cat hybrids lightly shook their head. </p><p>“Nice to meet you, Bambam. I’m Felix and that is my brother Minho”, Felix immediately introduced himself and Minho to the brunette while smiling like the sunshine he was. Bambam mirrored the smile a little bit. </p><p>“Nice to meet you too, but I guess we I can’t hang out with you too long or little Yugyeom gets grumpy”, he said and pointed over his shoulder back to a huge, black werewolf, who laid peacefully on the ground. The werewolf raised his head and looked towards the group. </p><p>“I can hear you, you know”, Yugyeom huffed, slowly rising from his position on the ground. Bambam send a little smile the werewolf’s way and then quickly bid his goodbye to Chan, Minho and Felix before he shifted into a brown wolf and began running away from Yugyeom, who chased after him. </p><p>“Are they older or younger than us?”, Felix asked, looking after them. Chan lightly laughed at that, which answered the question in Minho’s opinion. “They’re a little bit older than me”, the wolf hybrid chuckled. Felix looked back at Chan like he was joking but he wasn’t. </p><p>“Yeah not only we’re childish”, Minho teased his brother. Felix lightly punched Minho’s left shoulder at that. Minho almost didn’t feel the punch if he was honest. </p><p>“Let’s finally get something to eat. I’m starving”, the young cat hybrid said, took Chan’s hand and then started to drag the older two out of the little maze of corridors.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0073"><h2>73. Throwable portals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin invents a new spell, Felix just wants sleep and cuddles and Hyunjin finally admits something.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Byungho, concentrated on finding Seungmin’s portal, could immediately feel the younger’s magic. Seungmin’s magic felt dark yet powerful, which Byungho assumed was normal for a demon. The brunette knew his own magic was neither light nor dark, considering he was a mixed blood between an angel and a demon. Still, Byungho managed to easily intertwine his magic with Seungmin’s. The portal of both boys lit up a little when the connection stabilized itself. </p><p>It really wasn’t hard for Byungho and Seungmin to connect their portals, but the reason for it wasn’t entirely clear. Sure, they were brothers and good magic users, but it still impressed Matthew, who was supervising them, immensely. </p><p>“You two really don’t need me for this”, the blond guardian chuckled. He had been training with Wonpil while also keeping an eye on the two younger Kim brothers. Byungho had to admit that Matthew and Wonpil were a really good team and worked really well together. After all, Matthew didn’t need to have 100 percent of his concentration on the portal for it to work.</p><p>Byungho hoped that Woosu was doing great with his training too. He hadn’t seen the young warlock since he walked off with Taeyong, but there was reason to believe that he was doing fine. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that the red-haired guardian had come over to talk to Matthew for a short while. According to the blond guardian, Woosu had been teamed up with Lee Minhyuk from MonstaX and was therefore partly responsible for mentioned group. Minhyuk, or as Byungho knew him, Mr. Lee was an amazing and skilled warlock, meaning Woosu was in very good hands. </p><p>If Byungho was honest with himself, he was more worried about Seungmin than Woosu. The redhead had a messed up moral compass to deal with and really shouldn’t perform any magic for the day. Up until now Seungmin was doing perfectly fine as far as Byungho’s could tell, but it could change any minute. </p><p>Ever since they started training, Seungmin had been concentrating on the task at hand and seemingly had no problem managing to perform magic, but Byungho knew better than anyone else that the younger could be pretending to be fine. He was a demon and therefore perfect liar, after all. </p><p>“We should take a break for a little bit to recharge”, Wonpil suggested, stretching his fingers a bit. “I agree with that. Go get yourselves something to eat and drink while I find Taeyong real quick and ask for a couple of spell suggestions, so we can prepare other spells too that might come in handy”, Matthew agreed with Wonpil before jogging off, leaving the three Kim brothers behind. </p><p>Some people in the hall were still practicing, but mostly combat and not portal spells. Seemed like the pairs were chosen pretty thoughtfully. Byungho could see some of the younger NCT members train combat spells with all sorts of elements and also Wow from A.C.E along with a fairy that Byungho assumed was part of the same group. </p><p>Byungho looked over to Seungmin, who seemed to try something with his magic while Wonpil watched him anxiously. The young demon was forming a little portal between his hands, bending it in weird shapes then he stretched his hand out like he was throwing the portal. In the form of a ball the little portal was pushed forward, getting bigger and bigger until it stopped not far away from Byungho. </p><p>The brunette blinked in confusion. Portals were usually static spells, which didn’t move. They just got bigger given the amount of magic used on it. So, did Seungmin just throw a portal at him? Did Seungmin just invent a throwable portal? Byungho looked over to Wonpil, who probably had the same expression as him, absolutely baffled. </p><p>“It worked”, Seungmin cheered, grinning like a child. “You saw it right?”, he asked, looking at Wonpil and Byungho. Both older’s nodded slowly. Seungmin was a magic genius. That was never new information, but just became very prominent. </p><p>“How the hell did you do that? Why did you do that?”, Wonpil asked, walking over to Seungmin to get a better look at the portal. Byungho looked at the red vortex of magic. It looked like a normal portal and the magic radiating from it was normal too. It seemed like it was created normally and not thrown. </p><p>“Byungho, Seungmin is insane”, Wonpil called over to the brunette. Byungho ripped his gaze away from the portal and looked over to his older brother. This was insane sure, but Seungmin was the sanest person he knew. </p><p>“What? Why is Seungmin insane?”, Byungho asked, while passing Seungmin’s portal to join his brothers. Wonpil grinned a little bit and then looked at Seungmin. </p><p>“Explain how you threw that portal”, Wonpil said, nudging the younger demon beside him. Byungho focused on his younger brother. Seungmin still seemed like an excited little kid, but it was understandable considering what he had just done. </p><p>“Well, nobody said portal had to be static and remain on one spots, so ever since we started to train creating and connecting portals I thought about formable portals. Normally, portals can vary in size, so why not form? So I just began playing with one, reforming and reshaping it by always giving it a dosed portion of magic and then I thought why not throw it by letting it reshape forward and then get slowly bigger? So I did exactly that and there we have a throwable portal”, the redhead explained and gestured to the red portal. Byungho had to agree with Wonpil. Seungmin was insane. Insanely smart. </p><p>Even though Seungmin’s throwable portal took a lot of magical energy and needed to be practiced well, it could be very practical spell. For example, you could keep someone from falling to their death by throwing a portal underneath them or you could throw a portal at an enemy and send them far away from you. </p><p>“Seungmin you really are amazing”, Byungho chuckled and ruffled Seungmin’s red hair. Seungmin just giggled, still high on childish excitement about basically inventing a new form of a spell. Wonpil grinned wide being just as much of a proud older brother as Byungho. </p><p>Suddenly the three brothers heard their stomaches growl. It was their cue to finally go and get something to eat and drink, so they could train better afterwards. Maybe, Seungmin would even teach them his new spell. </p><p>The NCT headquarter had a little empty hall that was normally used for storage, according to the younger NCT members. It has been transformed into a little canteen ever since the whole headquarter had become a refuge for the ones rescued from Zendala’s attack. </p><p>The three brothers got something good to eat there and a water bottle they could take with them to the trainings hall. Sadly they didn’t meet anyone of their friends, meaning they were still training somewhere else. Byungho hoped that Chan was fine despite having injuries from the battle at the moon pack. A part of him wished that he could have done more to heal them, even though he had already tried his best. </p><p>“Don’t look so worried”, Byungho heard Wonpil say beside him.The oldest Kim brother showed the brunette a wide, almost silly grin to cheer him up and somehow Byungho cracked up a little. “Worked”, Wonpil quietly cheered, making Seungmin laugh a little too. </p><p>After they had eaten something, they went back to their trainings hall, which was more or less empty now. Matthew seemingly wasn’t back yet and the others, who had been training when they left, were gone too. Maybe they went to another hall or got something to eat and drink. </p><p>Seungmin put his water bottle down near the wall and then ran into the middle of the hall. Byungho put his bottle down beside Seungmin’s and watched with a little bit of confusion how his younger brother began to move his hands like he was creating something between his palms. It didn’t take long for Byungho to realize that he was creating a throwable portal. </p><p>“Hyung I want to try something”, the redhead said, looking up from the small red portal between his hands to Byungho. “Please don’t hurt yourselves”, Wonpil said beside Byungho. He was probably more concerned about Seungmin due the redhead’s messed up moral compass. </p><p>“We won’t. Don’t worry”, Seungmin responded and focused back on the little portal in his hand before he raised his gaze once more to look at Byungho. “Focus on the portal and connect with it without creating a portal yourself then I will throw it to you”, the young demon explained with a little excited smirk adoring his lips. </p><p>“He should have never discovered how to create throwable portals”, Wonpil commented, chuckling a little bit. Byungho huffed a little, but then tried what Seungmin asked him to do. He focused on the little red portal in Seungmin’s hand and tried to feel the magic radiating from it. There was this moving magical energy he could feel, but not necessarily the portal itself. Was it even a portal yet?</p><p>“I can’t really feel the magic of a portal, but something similar”, Byungho reported. Seungmin smiled widely as a response. “Alright. Just focus on that and then I will throw the portal”, the redhead said excitingly. Byungho nodded and focused on the moving energy he could feel. He noticed that this magical energy moved the same way as the portal in Seungmin’s hand. It really was the same thing. </p><p>“Ready?”, Seungmin asked, slowly getting ready to throw the portal. Byungho nodded and prepared himself to let his own magical energy flow into the little moving portal. Seungmin showed a grin again and then threw the portal just like a baseball. In midair, Byungho connected the moving object with his magic and the next thing he knew he was holding a little, constantly moving, red portal in his right palm. </p><p>“No way”, Byungho quietly whispered to himself, but suddenly he felt how the portal got extremely unstable. It puffed into red magical glitter before he could so anything to prevent it. </p><p>Slowly did the brunette look over to Seungmin, who at this point was just beaming with excitement. “Hyung you are amazing”, the young demon screeched, clapping with a bright smile on his face. Byungho didn’t really understand why Seungmin found that amazing. First off, Seungmin was the inventor of this spell and second, the portal destroyed itself as soon as Byungho had caught it. Maybe that was the point. He had caught the portal. It was basically progress with just that.  </p><p>“What are we even doing here?”, Wonpil spoke up with a mix of excitement and disbelieve. “We are creating new ways to use a spell”, Seungmin answered, running back to his brothers. He still had this bright smile on his face and Byungho could understand it. This was simply insane. The possibilities with this were endless if it was perfected, but right now it was far from that point. </p><p>“Everything alright with the three of you?”, a voice spoke up from the entrance of the hall. The three Kim brothers looked over to the entrance to see Matthew along with Woosu and Minhyuk. Byungho noted how Woosu seemed a bit more relaxed and confident than when they arrived at the headquarter this morning. </p><p>“We are perfectly fine. Just found a new way to use portals”, Seungmin beamed like a little child. Matthew and Minhyuk looked confused for a moment while Woosu’s face immediately lit up. </p><p>“Show it. I want to see it”, the young warlock said, jumping over to Seungmin. The young redhead grinned a little before jogging to the middle of the hall, performing his little trick again. This time the little portal between his palms became visible even faster. Seungmin really was talented. He seemed to learn with every time he performed the spells. </p><p>Woosu let out a little, excited squeal when Seungmin reformed the little red portal between his hands again and again while Matthew and Minhyuk were completely stunned. Seungmin then got himself ready to throw the portal. He was aiming for a free part of the hall and not at another creature this time. </p><p>With one good throw, the little portal flew across the hall getting bigger and bigger until it had reached the ground and a normal size. Then it stood there like a normal portal, ready to be used. </p><p>“How did you do that?”, Woosu squealed like a little girl, running over to Seungmin. The young warlock was bouncing up and down in front of Seungmin. The redhead grinned widely and looked back to Matthew and Minhyuk. The two older magic users were staring at the portal Seungmin had just thrown and seemingly still needed time to process what they had just witnessed. </p><p>“This is simply ingenious”, Matthew mumbled, probably to himself. “It is. Portals were always seen as static. They were described as fixed gateways to other places that can’t be moved after their creation, but this changes basically everything we knew about them so far”, Minhyuk agreed, slowly nodding while his eyes began to shine. The older warlock seemed to slowly get excited about this too. </p><p>Byungho couldn’t help but grin a little at how baffled the two older males were. Seungmin was a gifted magic user. Demon or not. He would be able to figure a lot of things out just by being curious enough to look behind the things known to the world. That was something he had always done, collecting knowledge to understand things and then use them the most efficient way. Even if Byungho would never say that to Seungmin directly, he had to admit that it was this thirst for knowledge, his overall cleverness and his mindset of using the things he knew in the most efficient way, were the reasons why he was the best prankster Miroh High had ever seen. </p><p>The rest of the trainings day was used to let Seungmin teach the throwable portals to Matthew, Minhyuk, Woosu, Wonpil and Byungho. It was hilarious to see that the Kim brothers managed to figure this thing out faster than the two experienced magical creatures. Seungmin’s best student was Woosu, since the young warlock figured Seungmin’s little tricks out very quickly. </p><p>When the younger NCT members and the two from A.C.E returned to the hall, they joined this little learning session with Seungmin. Byungho would never be able to properly describe how proud he felt watching Seungmin explain and teach this alternative of the portal spell to other creatures. The young redhead seemed so happy while correcting minor mistakes from others, explaining again and again how he did it and how it worked. </p><p>By the end of the day, Minhyuk and Matthew have gotten a hang of the spell but they still needed to practice a bit more just like the younger NCT members as well as Wow and Byeongkwan from ACE. Matthew commented while training, that this spell was good for combat and training, since it didn’t really hurt the person you threw it at, but teleported them to a location the user chose beforehand. He also commented that this should be a standard spell for every magical creature that worked in the security business, since it would avoid injuries on both sides. </p><p>Seungmin was basically praised endlessly while he taught the spell to the more experienced creatures. It was cute how he thanked them over and over again while his smile grew wider and wider. He never became annoyed or impatient throughout the whole learning process of the others. The redhead remained very patient and very concentrated on teaching the spell right. </p><p>At the end of the day, all four Kim brothers felt like they could fall asleep while standing. They had never before used up so much magical energy in one day, but it was worth it. Woosu told them with amazement written all over his face that Minhyuk was an incredible magic user and how they had managed to connect their portals in no time. </p><p>The only sad thing was that they didn’t run into any of their friends. No one of Stray Kids or Day6 seemed to be around when they left their trainings hall at 10pm. They couldn’t even say they would visit them in their trainings halls, because they didn’t even know where Jisung was and he was supposed to train the same thing as them. </p><p>Therefore the four brothers walked down to the entrance hall of the NCT headquarter after saying goodbye to the people that trained with them for the day. Seungmin wrote their father, so that he would come and pick them up. </p><p>“Is it possible to enter the NCT headquarter with a portal?”, Wonpil asked out of nowhere. “No. Yuta secure the place way to good. I guess only warlocks with the NCT symbol or the symbol of an officially allied group can do that”, Seungmin answered almost immediately whole his gaze was still fixed onto his phone. </p><p>“Isn’t that super complicated to do?”, Woosu asked more himself than Seungmin. “Well, I got called a genius today, but look at enchantments of the headquarter a little closer and you will see that Nakamoto Yuta is a magical creature ahead of his time”, the redhead chuckled lightly, raising his gaze to look at Woosu.Seungmin was really going to be humble about inventing an alternative to an important spell.  </p><p>When the four brothers reached the entrance hall their father was already waiting for them with a grin on his face like usual. “Did you have fun training?”, he asked. Neither of the four brother knew how they should reply to that until Woosu spoke up. </p><p>“We kind of did”, the white haired male simply answered, showing a little smile. Lucifer nodded and mirrored Woosu’s smile a little. “Then we should return home now. You seem tired”, he said and snapped his fingers. In an instant they were in the entrance hall of the Kim mansion. </p><p>“Rana and Samuel prepared little snacks for you while you were gone, so make sure to pay them a visit in the kitchen”, Lucifer mused before he walked towards the stairs. Byungho looked a bit after his father. He still didn’t know whenever he could hate him or not. In the past, he had hated him with a passion, because he couldn’t understand why his mother remained by his side even though he always did something behind her back. Ever since Eve’s death his father had in some way changed. He seemed more approachable now. </p><p>Byungho looked down to his hand were the golden wedding ring of his mother adored his little finger. His father was wearing the same one right now. It was strange how Byungho had only recently started to pay attention to the fact that his father, the devil, was wearing the wedding ring of his now deceased wife. It made him question if he still wore the wedding ring he had shared with Lilith if they ever had such a thing. </p><p>“Hey, Byungho are you coming?”, he was ripped out of his thoughts by Wonpil, who was standing a few feet away from him. He was heading towards the kitchen. Seungmin and Woosu had probably run ahead. </p><p>“Yeah. I’m coming” the brunette said and caught up to his older brother, so they could get something to ear in the kitchen together. </p><p>————————————</p><p>After the second part of the training had ended Felix let himself fall onto the ground, not moving an inch. He was done for today. There was no way of telling how long the young cat hybrid had been training today, but it was worth it. He felt stronger and more prepared, even though he just wished for a shower, a warm bed and his mate right now. </p><p>“You did great today”, Hyungwon praised the younger. Felix sat up, so he could look at the older hybrid, even though getting up was hard when every inch of your body was exhausted. “Thank you Hyungwon-ssi”, Felix thanked the snow leopard hybrid, showing him a sun-like smile despite his tiredness. </p><p>Hyungwon reached out a hand to help the ginger get up, since everyone was slowly leaving the hall. Felix took the older’s hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. The young cat hybrid was a bit shaky on his feet at first, but it passed quickly. </p><p>“Rest well tonight or tomorrow will be interesting”, the snow leopard commented with a bit of humor. “I will”, Felix replied in a polite manner. The two hybrids said goodbye to each other for the night and parted ways. Felix went to Minho and Chan, who seemingly have been waiting for him near the entrance of the trainings hall. Both looked just as tired as he felt. </p><p>“Let’s get to our rooms before we fall asleep standing and take a shower”, Chan said and the two Lee brothers couldn’t agree more. The three walked towards the staircase, passing some others, who were scattering around the headquarter. Felix was on the look out for Jeongin, Hyunjin and Jisung while he followed his older brother and Chan, but he couldn’t spot his blond mate, the black haired siren or the blue haired warlock. Maybe they were already in their rooms?</p><p>The three were grateful to the magical stairs that made the walk to the fifth floor seem a lot short than it actually was. Someone should give Yuta an award for this staircase in general. The Lee brothers bid goodbye to Chan when they reached their room since the wolf hybrid had to walk down the corridor a bit more to reach his own. </p><p>Felix pushed the door to the room open and immediately slithered into the bathroom, giving Minho no time to react. “I’m showering first”, the ginger yelled through the door while locking it. He heard Minho groan, making him smile a little bit. </p><p>“That’s for locking me into the basement”, Felix thought to himself, finally having his little revenge for the one time Minho locked him in the basement by holding the door handle up for five minutes. He was pretty sure he had just done it to impress Jisung. </p><p>The young cat hybrid got undressed, dropping his dirty cloths in a basked in the corner before stepping in the shower. Because he was a nice brother, he decided to shower rather quickly, so Minho wouldn’t have to wait for that long. It was better that way anyway, because otherwise Felix would have fallen asleep while standing under the warm stream.</p><p>“I’m finished”, Felix called out while walking out of the shower, huddled up in a big bathrobe and with a fluffy white towel on his hair. “Finally”, Minho, who had been sitting on a chair, mumbled to himself. Felix lightly chuckled while his brother grabbed his fresh cloths and brushed past him to get to the shower himself. </p><p>The ginger walked over to one of the room’s closets and opened it, mindlessly picking out a T-shirt and a pair of baggy, comfy pants along with underwear. He noted that besides Minho he was alone in the room, so he just got dressed quickly. </p><p>After finally being showered and dressed in fresh cloths, the cat hybrid hung up his bathrobe, rubbed his hair a little more dry with the towel and then flopped down onto his bed, not moving a muscle anymore. The only sound that filled the room was the shower running and occasionally Minho’s footsteps. Felix could fall asleep right here and now, but he knew himself good enough to know that he needed someone to cuddle to sleep soundly. He raised his head a little bit and scanned the room for his phone, instantly spotting it on the nightstand next to his bed. </p><p>He reached out his hand and grabbed the phone, turning his display on only to squint his eyes at the brightness. Still, he could see that Jeongin wrote him a message, which said that his training had finished. It was send around two hours ago. Felix opened the chat with the younger and just wrote that the kitsune should come over, because he was tired and needed someone to cuddle. </p><p>It was almost immediately after Felix hit send that the door of the room was opened, making the ginger almost believe that the younger was just that quick, but it was Jisung. The warlock looked just as exhausted as Felix felt, meaning that the magical creatures seemingly worked very hard too. </p><p>“I’ve never used that much magic in one day”, the warlock groaned, letting himself fall into the chair Minho had been sitting in just some minutes prior. “Good for you. I did plenty of running and dodging today. If my legs don’t fall off tomorrow I’m lucky”, Felix replied, shifting a little bit, so he could see his magical friends better. Jisung lightly chuckled, straightening his back a little. </p><p>The warlock didn’t look really sweaty, but he seemed tired just like Felix, meaning that the training with the fairy Park Jimin wasn’t too bad for him. Still, there was only one way to be sure. “Was training with Jimin okay?”, the ginger asked carefully. “He doesn’t like me that much but we managed to trust each other enough to create proper portals and connect them, so that’s a win in my eyes”, the warlock replied. </p><p>Felix was glad to hear that, because in between his own exhausting training he had been worried that Jimin would give Jisung a hard time, because Taehyung had a problem with him and Minho. It sounded ridiculous now. </p><p>Before the ginger could start up another conversation, the door to the bathroom was opened, revealing Minho in changed cloths and with a small towel around his shoulders. His light brown hair as well as his cat ears looked like they were still pretty wet. </p><p>When Felix looked at Jisung he had a hard time to not laugh out loud, because the warlock looked at Minho like he had just seen a deity. The older hybrid took notice of that too and smirked a little bit at his mate. He walked over to Jisung, trapping the warlock between his arms by putting his hands on the chair’s armrest</p><p>“Like what you see, Hannie?”, he said in a teasing voice and that was all it took for Jisung to become completely flustered. “I’m going to shower now”, the warlock exclaimed loudly, pushing Minho to the side and then escaping into the bathroom. Felix started to laugh loudly, because this was just overall hilarious. Every drama on TV was boring compared to this. </p><p>It was only when Felix saw the fond look on Minho’s face when he smiled to himself, that he started to calm down from his laughing fit. The look Minho had on his face was the exact same as when their parents looked at each other. Every time they would do chores together or when they took a simple walk; they looked at each other with the same fondness. </p><p>A sudden knock on the front door ripped Felix out of his thoughts and made him scrabble to his feet almost automatically. He ignored the confused look on Minho’s face he saw in the corner of his eye and walked towards the door to open it. </p><p>In front of the door stood Jeongin along with Hyunjin, both already dressed in their pajamas. “He just came along”, Jeongin said, nodding towards Hyunjin. The siren stood there with a big smile on his face like he had the best day ever. </p><p>“Well, I felt left out last time, so I’m not letting it happen again”, the siren stated, walking past Jeongin and entering the room. Felix was a bit confused, because of the siren’s good mood and looked at the kitsune for an answer. </p><p>“He liked training with the children”, the blond whispered, entering the room and closing the door behind him. Felix nodded understanding the reason of Hyunjin’s good mood now. </p><p>“Where are Jisung and Changbin-hyung?”, Hyunjin asked, looking around a little bit. “Jisung is in the shower and Changbin-hyung hasn’t shown up yet”, Felix answered the siren while walking back to his bed, sitting down onto it. If Felix was honest with himself, he just wanted to sleep now. He reached his arms out towards Jeongin, hoping that the kitsune would get the hint. </p><p>Without hesitating for too long, Jeongin walked over to the ginger, hugging the other as soon as he was in reach. Felix smiled a little bit and let himself fall backwards, so Jeongin was laying on top on him. He could sleep soundly now if it wasn’t for Hyunjin and Minho, who he could almost feel grinning while looking at them. Would they really start teasing them about being mates now?</p><p>“Stop doing that?”, Jeongin mumbled, probably having noticed his hyungs’ gazes too. “What? We were just looking”, Minho stated in a teasing tone. Felix wished he could throw a pillow at his older brother, but the ginger knew it wasn’t worth it since Minho would easily catch it. His reflexes were just too good. </p><p>“Let’s just sleep”, Felix complained and hugged Jeongin a little closer. “Well go ahead. I will search for Changbin-hyung”, Hyunjin declared and the next thing you heard was the sound of the room door being opened and closed. Felix didn’t really have the energy to say anything else and just slowly let the tiredness take over him. He only faintly heard how Jisung finished his shower and came back into the room, but he wouldn’t remember it the next day. </p><p>—————————</p><p>Hyunjin walked down the corridors of the NCT headquarter towards the staircase. If Changbin  wasn’t in his room yet, he was either still in one of the trainings halls or down in the grotto. If the siren had to bet on where Changbin was, he would go for the grotto-like room with the pool. After all, who wouldn’t want to jump into a pool of relaxing water after a day of hard training? With that in mind, the young siren headed towards the grotto. </p><p>After walking down the stairs to the ground floor, the siren directly walked down to the basement floor, not even glancing at the trainings halls. It was so quiet it almost creeped him out. Just some hours prior Hyunjin was in a hall filled with young werewolves and wolf hybrids, that weren’t able to sit still unless you showed them a trick or something. It was endearing to interact with them, but it made hearing nothing at all while being alone a lot more spooky.</p><p>When Hyunjin saw the door to the grotto, he released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He jogged the last few meters towards the familiar door and pushed down the handle without much thought. He entered the room rather quickly and closed the door behind him. </p><p>The siren grinned a little when he spotted Changbin floating in the water with his eyes closed. The vampire seemingly hadn’t noticed him yet, which let Hyunjin get an idea. His mother will probably kill him for going for a swim in his pajama again, but he will risk it. He slipped out of his slippers while taking off his shirt and then quickly rolled his pajamas pants up, so his fins wouldn’t shred the fabric when he transformed. </p><p>He sneaked around the pool a little bit, getting as close as possibly to Changbin. Without mercy, the siren jumped into the water, scaring the vampire in the process. Hyunjin giggled even underwater when he could feel the waves from Changbin trashing around in the water in fright. </p><p>Hyunjin could feel his gils and fins forming and slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the water quickly. Changbin was now upright, keeping his head above water by the simple movements of his legs and arms. The siren also noted that despite not being the tallest person, Changbin did have a well trained body. </p><p>The siren quickly shook his head and emerged from under the water’s surface when he was fully transformed. He was met with a vampire that was a little pissed, but not really angry. </p><p>“Did I scare you?” Hyunjin asked teasingly, smiling a little bit. “You think you are so funny, right?”, the vampire huffed and would probably have crossed his arms if he didn’t need to keep his head above water. Hyunjin just smiled innocently at him while being proud that he had managed to scare the other, but he came here for something else, which he had forgotten for a moment. Changbin should be in his room resting since he had training tomorrow. </p><p>“Well, you should be up in your room getting some rest, so I would say I taught you a lesson”, Hyunjin replied smugly. “So you jumped into the water yourself, smart”, the vampire huffed, not really letting the other be smug. At least the siren had one advantage. </p><p>“I’m a sea creature. I’m allowed to”, Hyunjin pouted a bit. Changbin didn’t seem to take him serious, so he let the point drop from his face. Changbin needed to rest in order to do his best tomorrow.</p><p>“You really should be resting, hyung. The others just finished their training and are exhausted, so you can’t be any different”, the siren said and swam a little bit closer to the vampire to look into his eyes. If the vampire’s iris was a little more red than usual, he would instantly drag Changbin out of the grotto, even if he said he wasn’t tired. Somehow Hyunjin had noticed how that redness in the vampire’s eyes always became more prominent every time something was wrong with him. </p><p>This time his eyes seemed normal. The red glimmer they had was as faint as the last time he had seen it. Changbin seemed a little confused though, which was the moment Hyunjin backed off again. He had gotten too close to the other again. </p><p>“Sorry. I just, I just wanted to check your eye color. You know if you iris is, is red or not”, the siren stuttered like a little school girl talking to her crush. Though the crush thing wasn’t entirely wrong. “Great one, Hwang”, Hyunjin cursed at himself internally. </p><p>“My Red Glow isn’t activated. Don’t worry”, the vampire chuckled. Hyunjin blinked in confusion at the word ‘Red Glow’. He didn’t know what a ‘Red Glow’ should be. Was he supposed to know? Maybe it was what that state was called when Changbin got stressed and his eyes more red. The vampire apparently noticed the confusion of the siren and began to explain it a little. </p><p>“The ‘Red Glow’ is something royal vampires have. It helps them in stressful situation or when they reach some sort of physical or mental limit. Their eyes turn red then, so that’s what you have been checking for”, Changbin explained in a bit of a rush manner, but Hyunjin understood it anyway. The ‘Red Glow’ seemed to be more positive than Hyunjin had thought. </p><p>“So, can you activate it on purpose too or ...?”, Hyunjin asked without really thinking. The question sounded stupid said out loud. Changbin seemingly found it a bit amusing and shook his head. </p><p>“I can’t, but it doesn’t really take much to activate it, honestly”, he replied and Hyunjin just felt overall stupid. He was one of the best in his class at Miroh High and he still asked stupid and insensitive questions. Great. </p><p>Hyunjin let half of his face sink underwater to hide his embarrassment, but Changbin seemingly found that just more funny. “Didn’t you come down here to scold me and drag me to bed? Why are you hiding now?”, the vampire asked teasingly. Hyunjin grumbled a little bit, creating bubbles before his face. </p><p>“Are you pouting now? Sad that you can’t achieve your goal?”, Changbin continued to tease the siren. Hyunjin just stared at him and weighed his options in his head. He had the advantage as long as they were in the pool why not make use of it? </p><p>The siren lunged forward, holding Changbin by his shoulder and dunked him underwater. He wanted to smugly grin and say something, but then the vampire grabbed his arm and pulled him underwater as well. Hyunjin was surprised, but that was all the reward Changbin got from pulling a creature of the sea underwater. </p><p>Still, Hyunjin felt a lot more affected by the action, because right now he was face to face with the vampire. While Changbin had closed his eyes automatically when Hyunjin had dunked him, the siren’s eyes were open and he could see perfectly. He could see the vampire’s handsome and sharp facial features, the cute way he frowned with his eyes closed and his kissable lips. For once in his life Hyunjin really wanted to kiss someone. </p><p>Suddenly Changbin let his eyes blink open. The black orbs with the red shimmer looked directly at the siren’s face. Hyunjin knew Changbin’s vision was blurry underwater, but the way the older’s black eyes seemed to scan over his face in what he assumed was worry made his heart beat faster. </p><p>Without warning Changbin pushed himself upwards and back to the surface, making Hyunjin follow him in confusion, even though it should be logical to him that unlike him the vampire needed air to breath. </p><p>Hyunjin wanted to ask the other what was wrong, but before he could Changbin just grabbed his shoulders and kissed him. The siren was taken completely off guard, which lead to them to diving back into the water, because the sea creature forgot how to swim for a moment. Despite the initial shock Hyunjin didn’t hesitate for one second to kiss the vampire back. It was almost like an instinct had kicked in, letting the siren respond to the kiss before his brain properly processed it. </p><p>The minute his brain did catch onto what was going on, was the moment he pulled away from the kiss and instantly brought both of them back to the surface. It was such a short kiss and even that was enough to let Hyunjin feel like someone set him on fire, despite being surrounded by water. Still, the problem was that Changbin wasn’t supposed to kiss him. He had a crush on Seungmin for the gods sake!  </p><p>“Why, why did you kiss me? You like Seungmin, you idiot, and he likes you. Why would you kiss me and not him, why, why would you-“, Hyunjin stressed, but cut himself off when he saw Changbin, who still had his hands on the siren’s shoulders, slowly widening his eyes. </p><p>That was it. He had said too much. He ruined it. He did the one thing his mother told him to not do with his ability. He told Changbin about Seungmin’s crush on him, which could lead to a lot of awkward situations for them. It could even ruin their chance of being together.  </p><p>“I’m, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I- By everything good I ruined it”, the siren sighed in defeat. His voice cracked at the last part and he could feel how hot tears build themselves up in his eyes. Changbin apparently saw them since he began to panic a little bit. </p><p>“Nonono. Hyunjin, please don’t cry. I-“, he cut himself off and took a breath. He became a bit calmer while his eyes began to draw in Hyunjin’s attention automatically. The black orbs with the red shimmer somehow made the siren feel a bit serene, despite the frantic beating of his heart.  </p><p>“Listen to me. I do like Seungmin, but I also like you as confusing as that sounds. And that is the reason I kissed you”, the vampire added slowly. Hyunjin needed a second to understand his words properly. Could it be that Changbin really liked him and Seungmin? Could it be that he was this damn lucky and just didn’t see it? Of course, he didn’t see it. A siren could never see her own crushes and the people they were in love with as clear as the ones of others. </p><p>“Got that, Hwang Hyunjin? I have a major crush on you as well as Seungmin”, the vampire repeated after the siren didn’t react for a while, looking directly at Hyunjin. That was all it took for the siren to just capture the vampire’s lips with his own. Changbin having a ‘major crush’ on him was all he had needed to hear to throw every “I can’t. He’s Seungmin’s” thought out of the window. </p><p>The siren held the shorter male close while kissing him and hoped deeply that he could show the vampire every little happy emotion he felt right now and how much the older meant to him. </p><p>When they separated Hyunjin did feel warm tears roll down his cheeks, but he didn’t feel sad or scared. He was just damn glad he didn’t need to hold himself back anymore whenever he was around Changbin, but that made a little realization nag at his mind. Was the reason Changbin wasn’t affected by his siren song that the vampire was in love with him?</p><p>“What did you just realize?”, Changbin chuckled, having noticed that the siren was a little bit in thought. Hyunjin focused back on the vampire in his arms. He looked adorable and handsome with that little smile on his lips. The siren couldn’t help, but mirror it. </p><p>“That maybe the reason that you weren’t affected by my siren song is the reason you kissed”, the siren said a little smugly. “Well, if that is true, I probably will never be”, the vampire replied, grinning a little bit. Hyunjin instantly got flustered and looked away, being not sure if Changbin knew what he was implying, but what if he really did? The “What-if” scenario made the siren a little more flustered while his heart did little jumps.</p><p>“By the way, one important question”, the vampire went on casually and despite Hyunjin flustered state the vampire had his full attention. “Do you think it would be possible to have two boyfriends?”, the vampire questioned in a rather calm voice, but he avoided to look directly into Hyunjin’s eyes. The siren blinked in mild confusion. The concept of Polyamory has been around for centuries. Shouldn’t Changbin as a vampire know about it? </p><p>“Of course it is possible. Polyamory existed since the ancient times”, Hyunjin replied with a bit of confusion in his voice, not knowing what Changbin was exactly aiming at. “So, if I’d ask you to be my boyfriend, but also wanted Seungmin to be my boyfriend, would you be okay with it?”, the vampire continued and now the siren understood what the other was hinting. It made him smile a little fonder, considering he did like Seungmin a bit too much. </p><p>“I wouldn’t mind at all. I like Seungmin too, after all”, the siren admitted rather shyly letting his gaze stray away until he heard Changbin chuckle. “Well, then we have a common goal in that point”, he said with a bit of humor, but Hyunjin knew he meant it. He had been aware of Changbin’s crush on the redhead for a while, after all. </p><p>“It will work out for you, hyung. Trust me”, the siren whispered, putting his forehead onto Changbin’s while closing his eyes. He could feel that Changbin relaxed a bit too, leaving it entirely up to Hyunjin to keep them both over water, but the siren would lie if he said it wasn’t easy. </p><p>For the time being both could forget what was slowly coming towards them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0074"><h2>74. Dark and light magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Zendala gets impatient, Yuta figures out the hunters’ crystals and Changbin’s gets even more obvious about his crush on Seungmin.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m really starting to lose my patience with you”, Zendala growled as she walked around Ten. The Demi-dragon with the brown hair was still chained to a metallic chair, restricting almost every little movement. His head was hanging low and didn’t move one muscle while the blue-haired warlock walked around him with an irritated expression on her face. </p><p>It has been seven days since Zendala had captured the two Demi-dragons right in front of their leader’s face. Despite everything she had already done to Ten and Jaehyung both of them were still alive and kept their mouths shut. It was almost admirable to Zendala. Almost. </p><p>Zendala walked towards Jaehyun, who was still chained to the wall. It was a miracle that he was still alive with all his wounds and the amount of blood he must have lost. His whole upper body was covered in bruises and slashes from whips. His breathing was so light you could barely see the rising and falling of his chest, but despite all the torture he had been through he was still alive. He really had proven that Demi-dragons were one of the strongest and toughest supernatural creatures out there. </p><p>The female warlock gritted her teeth. She hated the fact that she couldn’t break them and get them to talk. She needed to know how she could get NCT out of the way before she could continue with her plan properly. After all, NCT had taken some hunters captive and despite a hunter’s determination and loyalty to their own people they were only humans. There were enough supernatural creatures who could easily get a human to blurt out their deepest, darkest secret. </p><p>“I’m running out of time here”, Zendala thought to herself and looked over her shoulder back to Ten, who had remained unmoving. When the female warlock looked back to Jaehyun she got an idea. A wide, sadistic smile creeped onto her lips while she continued to play around with the idea in her head. Why hasn’t she thought of something like that sooner? It was such an easy solution to her problem. </p><p>“Ten you should start talking now”, she mused and walked over to the brunette, crouching down in front of him, so she could see his face. The Demi-dragon refused to even glance at the female warlock and didn’t budge either. His gaze remained focused on his lap. Zendala grinned a bit wider. He would start talking soon. </p><p>“You remember that you and your precious partner aren’t the only prisoners here, right?”, Zendala continued to talk, sounding like she was delivering some happy news. Slowly Ten’s eyes began to shimmer with an realization, followed by horror. His head snapped towards Zendala, who was just smiling to herself while still crouching in front of Ten’s chair. </p><p>“You wouldn’t dare”, Ten shouted in both anger and fear. The Demi dragon gritted his teeth while his hands were clenched into fists. He was weakly fighting the metallic restraints on his wrists. For a moment Zendala was taken back by his loud tone, but the minute she saw the fear and horror in the Demi-dragon’s eyes she knew he just used his anger in an attempt to cover up his fear. He knew what she was capable of and knew all too well, that she would start killing the other captives she didn’t need anymore in order to get him to talk. </p><p>“I wouldn’t? Really?”, she questioned in a mocking tone while she stood back up. She snapped her finger, which let the chains that kept Jaehyun up on the wall loosen, causing the other demi-dragon to limply fall onto the floor. Immediately Ten’s head snapped towards Jaehyun, who was now laying on the ground completely unmoving. The fear in the Demi-dragon’s bronze eyes became a lot more prominent when his gaze focused on his half dead partner. He hadn’t shown this amount of fear in a while. </p><p>“I admire the both of you for your strength”, Zendala said and began strolling over to the unconscious Jaehyun. His lifeless black wings laid on the ground and covered him like a blanket. If his face wasn’t bruised and covered with small cuts from knifes, you would think he was just sleeping. It was truly a miracle he was still alive. </p><p>“I have given that boy a week. Seven days have passed and he is still breathing and you still aren’t talking”, Zendala continued and looked over to Ten again. The Demi-dragon’s bronze eyes finally had a hopeless glimmer in them, making the warlock internally smile. Zendala put her attention back onto Jaehyun and crouched down next to him. </p><p>“I won’t change my methods and plans if you start talking now, Ten”, Zendala said while she reached out her right hand and let her fingers ghost over Jaehyun’s black, leathery wings. They felt strong, despite the amount of abuse they have endured. It would be a shame to destroy them completely. </p><p>“Trust me, Ten. My new methods of dealing with the two of you will be more brutal and-“, Zendala wanted to continue, but like lighting Jaehyun grabbed her wrist and broke the bone in his hand without hesitation. </p><p>The female warlock screamed in pain and tried to rip her hand out of the iron grip. She looked into Jaehyun’s determined, golden dragon eyes before she casted a spell that pushed the Demi-dragon away and knocked him unconscious. </p><p>Zendala scrabbled to her feet and protectively held her right arms while breathing heavily. She hadn’t expected this at all. How did Jaehyun manage to have so much strength, even though she used jade pins and a jade dagger on him? </p><p>“What happened”, a guard asked hurriedly when he came running into the room, holding a jade spear. Zendala took a breath and looked at Ten. The brunette seemed stressed and seemingly didn’t know how to react, but the way he looked at Jaehyun with a mix of worry and bit of hope made the female warlock’s blood boil. He shouldn’t have hope, he should break and tell her what she wanted. </p><p>“Bring me one of the remaining vampires”, Zendala growled at the guard. The man looked a bit confused, which set her off even more. Was any hunter this dumb or was this one a special case?</p><p>“Just bring me one of the damn vampires”, she shouted into his face, which made him immediately turn and run out of the room. Zendala breathed a bit heavily, looking like she had gone completely mad. </p><p>The pain in her right wrist was like a dull pulsation right now, even though the bones were shattered. She sharply turned around to the person, who had caused her injury. Jaehyun laid on his side, completely motionless once again while a bit of blood dripped down from his lips. </p><p>“You will pay for this, Jung Jaehyun”, Zendala said to herself and put her foot onto his side, turning him, so he was laying on his stomach. She looked at the jade dagger between his shoulder blades and then let her gaze wander to Ten, who was looking away with his eyes closed. </p><p>“For once I don’t care that you aren’t looking his way”, Zendala stated, sounding cold. It was like her anger had disappeared but it hadn’t. With a quick movement of her left hand, Zendala turned the jade dagger in Jaehyun’s back so the blade was in a horizontal position and then pulled it out. Blood was dripping down from the jade blade, onto Jaehyun’s back. </p><p>“I was quite nice when I caught you two. I made your wings useless, but didn’t do any kind of permanent damage. A bit stupid right?”, Zendala said, like she was talking to herself. Her sky blue eyes were slowly sucking up every bit of emotion she had. </p><p>She raised the jade dagger in her hand and aimed at the point where the wings were connected to the spine when suddenly the door of the room was opened by the guard. Zendala’s head snapped towards the opened door and the guard, who pushed a young vampire boy into the room. Zendala’s cold blue eyes focused on the shivering vampire. </p><p>The vampire didn’t seemed like he was himself, but when he looked at Zendala his cloudy eyes were filled with nothing but horror and fear. Without a second thought, Zendala dashed towards the vampire and cut his throat open with a quick movement of the jade dagger. </p><p>The young vampire stumbled back, crashing into the wall while almost black blood streamed down from his throat. Within seconds, the shirt was soaked with blond. The vampire wanted to scream, but the only thing that came out of his mouth were strangled noises. </p><p>Zendala looked at the vampire with emotionless eyes and mumbled a spell, which let a ice spear appear beside her. Without blinking, Zendala let the spear pierced through the young vampire’s chest, finally killing him. </p><p>The female warlock looked away from the young, unmoving vampire and back to Ten. The Demi-dragon looked at her with nothing but horror and fear. His lips trembled ever so slightly like he had a hard time holding himself back from saying anything. Zendala looked at him and felt nothing for a moment before the pain in her wrist made her look down onto her arm. She could almost see the crushed bones piercing through her skin. </p><p>“The next time I’m here. You better start talking Ten, or another one dies”, she said and looked Ten into the eyes. Without saying anything else, she turned around and left the room, leaving the body of the young vampire in the room with Jaehyun and Ten.  </p><p>————————</p><p>It was past midnight and Taeyong was still standing in his office, looking at the magical map in front of him. The map showed the headquarter of the hunters in every detail NCT managed to figure out until now. The little house, which was surrounded by a forest, was located some kilometers outside of Yellow Wood. It was well hidden behind magical barriers that were of an astonishing high magic level and probably have been crafted over a longer period of time. Still, the barrier wasn’t the only thing to worry about. The three floors underneath the little wooden house, which was the actual headquarter of the hunters, were well structured, leaving no hiding spots in the corridors which were build like a chess board. </p><p>The accuracy of the map was really unbelievable, but Yuta worked wonders on it over the course of the last few days. Still, Taeyong couldn’t deny that J.Seph’s and Matthew’s work helped a lot too. The two other guardians had taken it upon themselves to scout out the surroundings of the hunters’ headquarter just yesterday. </p><p>Taeyong couldn’t deny that having other guardians at the headquarter was a huge relief for him and Taeil, but the GOT7 group had become essential to the rescue mission too. Jaebum, Jackson and Mark were the three legendary barrier mages of Yellow Wood, after all. If something went seriously wrong and it came down to a fight, those three would probably keep the majority of the rescue parties from being killed with their strong shields. Still, the problem with the mysterious hunters’ crystals remained. No one had been able to figure them out until now. </p><p>Yuta has been working on the issue ever since Taeyong brought him Emily’s crystal despite having a lot of other things to do. The warlock was basically multitasking all the time. Taeyong had to admit that, even though Yuta hadn’t been happy with the plan of the rescue mission from the start he was the one, who was working for it the hardest. He probably hasn’t slept much in the last days, because he was so busy working on more than one thing at the same time. </p><p>Even though there were so many skilled creatures working on the plan for the rescue mission, there were still some things that remained unknown. For example, no one knew what the inside of the hunters’ headquarter truly looked like and there was also a possibility that Jaehyun and Ten were the only creatures that were held captive on the third floor of the hunters’ underground system. According to the information, which has been gather, it was very unlikely, but still a possibility. </p><p>The rescue mission needed to have enough backup plans to react to such a situation, which was why Taeyong wouldn’t stop going over the plans and maps until he was certain that everything was perfect. He would make sure that everyone would come out of the rescue mission alive and be able to return to their loved ones and families. </p><p>Taeyong let a sigh escape his lips. He wanted to zoom in to the third floor of the hunters’s headquarter to looked at the maze of corridors again when he suddenly got the feeling someone was hammering against his skull from the inside. It created a dull, but strong pain, that pulsed through his head mercilessly. The guardian gripped the edge of the table, which was standing in front of him, a bit harder and waited for the pain to pass. This type of pain wasn’t new to him anymore. He took some deep breaths, trying hard to not think about the reason for his headache.</p><p>Slowly his legs became a little wobbly, forcing him to lean more onto the table, so he wouldn’t fall to the ground. His heart speed up, making it hard for him to keep his breathing calm. A sudden sharp pain in his back, knocked the air out of the guardian’s lungs while his eyes slowly filled themselves with tears. He could hear a scream echo in his pulsing head, even though no one was in the room with him. Still, he knew whose scream it was, making the guardian bite his tongue in order to not call him. </p><p>“Please just hold out a little longer. Please”, Taeyong whimpered. His grip on the edge of the table became harder, letting his knuckles turn white while hot tears ran down the guardian’s cheeks. “I’m coming for you. I promise”, the red-haired male thought to himself, hoping that Jaehyun and Ten could maybe even hear him. </p><p>Slowly the pain became numb, leaving Taeyong without even a little cut. The guardian let out a breath and carefully moved his shoulder, testing if he still felt the pain in his back. There was nothing now. The guardian gulped and straightened his back, carefully putting weight onto his legs. They weren’t wobbly anymore and had resumed to their previous strength. His head felt okay too, but Taeyong couldn’t be relieved at all, knowing that Jaehyun and Ten were in much more pain than he could feel. </p><p>“Just hold on a little longer”, Taeyong internally repeated, focusing his attention back onto the map. He wiped his tears away with the sleeves of his shirt and reminded himself of the things he could do now. The plan for the rescue mission needed have at least a thousands backup plans, so everyone would come out of it alive. </p><p>When Taeyong attempted to let the map zoom into the third floor of the hunters headquarter again, he heard a knock on the door. The guardian couldn’t even open his mouth to say “Come in” before the door was opened by Johnny, wearing pajamas. </p><p>“Why did I know you would be here?”, the harpy sighed, entering the room and closing the door behind him. Taeyong focused back onto the map and let it zoom into the third floor of the hunters’ headquarter. He didn’t have the strength to look Johnny into the eyes right now.</p><p>“Are you going over the plan again?”, Johnny asked, joining Taeyong’s side almost naturally. The guardian could feel the harpy’s presence beside him and it calmed a bit of him, but also reminded him of the people, who were missing right now.</p><p>“I figured going over the plan again wouldn’t hurt. After all, there are so many little things we still don’t know about the hunters’ headquarter that every little detail we notice could be game changing. We need to be prepared for everything that could possibly go wrong. Otherwise, would I betray the trust the others gave me”, the red-haired guardian answered, briefly glancing at the tall brunette. Johnny looked at the map for a short while and then focused on the guardian beside him. </p><p>Taeyong could feel his soulmate’s gaze on him, but he refused to look at the harpy, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the other’s concerned look. The guardian was aware that Johnny was here because the harpy wanted to coax him to sleep, but it was the last thing Taeyong wanted to do. He would only dream about Jaehyun and Ten and the pain they have to endure while he was here making plans. </p><p>“Please rest for a little while. You seem exhausted”, Johnny mumbled while he put an arm around the red-haired guardian. The harpy sounded like he didn’t really try to coax his leader, but rather voiced his concern. Still, there was no way Taeyong could allow himself to rest.</p><p>“I can’t”, the guardian answered, letting his shoulders slump while his eyes remained focused on the map. He was looking at the room where Ten and Jaehyun were held captive, where they were tortured. </p><p>“You need to sleep, Taeyong. You can’t help anyone if you are exhausted. Trust me”, Johnny said in a soft voice. The harpy laid his head onto the guardian’s shoulder and secured the smaller male in his arms. Taeyong sighed, knowing that the harpy was right, but he just couldn’t bring himself to sleep. </p><p>Before the red-haired male could formulate a probably not very logical response, the door of Taeyong’s office was ripped open by no one other than Yuta. The warlock with the lilac hair was panting, but the wide smile on his face was promising. </p><p>“I finally figured that stupid hunter crystal out”, Yuta declared, still panting a little. Taeyong instinctively looked up to Johnny, who had raised his head from the guardian’s shoulder the minute Yuta busted into the room. Seeing that the harpy looked as surprised as Taeyong felt, confirmed that the guardian wasn’t dreaming. </p><p>Yuta entered the room with quick steps and walked over to the magical map, leaving the door wide open. The warlock with the lilac hair only needed to make some little gestures with his hands to let the maps transform into something entirely different. In the air above the table was now a magical hologram of a crystal. The crystal, which was worn by the hunters.</p><p>“It took me quite a while to figure this little thing out, but it truly is so much more than we thought. It’s basically an ancient magical artifact with the power to cancel any magic it’s holder comes into contact with, but we already knew that when we first encountered it”, Yuta began, looking at his leader and Johnny. “Now why is it an ancient, magical artifact you may think? The answer is so simple I should have known it sooner”, the warlock continued and with just the flick of his wrist did the hologram zoom into the inside of the crystal. There seemed to be two types of streams. One was lighter than the other one and Taeyong noticed how they behaved similar to the symbol of Yin and Yang. </p><p>“Those crystals are the result of pure light magic crashing together with pure dark magic. I believe they were created in the ancient war between the angels, demons, supernaturals and humans. In those ancient times, no supernatural creature created through either dark or light magic was able to touch those stones, because they would slowly be killed by it. This was why the humans, creatures of no magic, began to use them”, the warlock continued and gestured at the light and dark stream, circling in the crystal. </p><p>“Those crystals are the reason we supernaturals had to hide from the humans, because not only were the crystals able to cancel magic, they made the hunters generally harder to spot for supernaturals. They make their holder’s steps lighter, so they can’t be heard and covers their scent, so no creature with a good nose can properly sniff them out”, Yuta went on, letting the hologram resume to it’s previous view, where you could see the whole thing. </p><p>Taeyong looked at the crystal for a moment before his gaze focused on Yuta, but in the corner of his eye the guardian noticed a movement. The red-haired male automatically focused on the movement only to realize that Sicheng had entered the room. The warlock with the blond hair probably had joined them at some point in Yuta’s explanation. He had even closed the door of the office, which had been left opened by Yuta, without Taeyong really noticing.</p><p>“Is there any supernatural creature that could hold those crystals without being hurt?”, Johnny asked Yuta, letting Taeyong focus back onto the current conversation. Yuta was drumming his fingers onto the table, thinking for a moment.  </p><p>“I don’t think there is a supernatural, which could hold these crystals without being injured. The combination of pure light and pure dark energy is dangerous to every supernatural with a bit of magic in them. After all, every creature has a mixture of both types of magic. Depending on their species it’s more light magic or more dark magic. Only a creature, who had both types of magic in a perfect balance while also keeping them separated and pure in their body would be immune to the crystal’s abilities”, Yuta answered while lightly shaking his head a little. </p><p>“Well, at least we know what we are up to now”, Taeyong sighed, looking at the hologram once more. He was leaning a bit more onto the table. They would need to call in a meeting tomorrow to tell everyone about Yuta’s discovery and start to prepare everyone for fighting against someone with such a thing. </p><p>“Hyungs”, Sicheng spoke up, gaining everyone’s attention in the room. The blond warlock now stood next to Yuta and looked a little worried. He may be the youngest in the room right now, but Taeyong grew to rely on Sicheng’s opinion more and more over the last month. </p><p>“We should all get some sleep now. I don’t want to take care of someone, who collapsed because of exhaustion”, the blond warlock voiced his concern and Taeyong noted how the younger looked especially at him and Yuta. It made the guardian feel a bit bad, knowing that the young warlock was their primary healer together with Taeil. He was treating a lot of creatures, which were wounded in the fights with the hunters and surely didn’t want to see one of his hyungs in his office, because they overworked themselves. </p><p>“I agree with Sicheng on this”, Johnny sided with the warlock and Taeyong could feel the harpy’s gaze on him. The guardian sighed and finally gave up. He couldn’t talk against Johnny and one of NCT’s primary healers. Yuta seemed to have given up too since he didn’t even try to talk against his boyfriend. </p><p>“Alright”, Taeyong sighed, letting himself finally lean onto Johnny a little bit. The harpy let his grip on the guardian tighten a little bit to secure him better. Sicheng let out a relieved breath and then made it his personal mission to usher everyone out of the room and to their beds. </p><p>—————————————</p><p>The next day arrived quicker than Changbin wished. The annoying beeping of multiple alarms ripped the vampire out of his dreamland. He wanted to groan and complain in hopes of continuing to sleep a little, but when he slowly opened his eyes his morning became a bit sweeter instantly. The first face the vampire saw after waking up was the one of a certain siren. A small smile raised the corner’s of the black-haired male’s lips lightly when he saw Hyunjin sleep soundly beside him. He looked simply adorable and peaceful; it made Changbin want to poke his cheek. </p><p>“Hey you two. Get up. We have training”, Changbin heard Jisung say from the lower bunk bed. Since they came a little too late on their first day, everyone had set their own alarm for the following days. Multiple alarms going off at the same time was effective enough to wake up everyone including Jisung, who slept like a stone. </p><p>The vampire sighed and carefully sat up, stretching a little bit until he felt a dull pain in his right shoulder. He grimaced a little bit while testing how that pain would influence him. Did he hurt himself while training with Changkyun? No, he would have felt that when he climbed onto the bunk bed after Hyunjin yesterday. Maybe it was just a sore muscle. </p><p>“Did you hurt yourself, hyung?”, Felix spoke up, looking up to the vampire from his place on the opposite lower bunk bed. Beside the ginger cat hybrid was Jeongin. The kitsune looked like he didn’t want to get up, which Changbin could understand. Poor Ms. Hwang, who had a room all to herself, because her nephew and son preferred to stay with their group members. </p><p>“No, it doesn’t really hurt. Maybe I just pulled something yesterday. It will pass though, so don’t worry”, Changbin replied. Felix seemed to think for a short moment before nodding. </p><p>“Alright, hyung, but don’t overdo it”, the ginger added and stood up from his bed despite Jeongin quietly complaining about it. Usually, Jeongin wasn’t much of a hugger, but he naturally gravitated towards Felix whenever the ginger was nearby. Felix seemed to like the kitsune’s affection a lot more than he admitted. </p><p>It was funny how they had three pairs of mates in their group, but Changbin was the last one to complain about that. He had developed a crush on two members of Stray Kids, after all. To be fair, he had those crushes before Stray Kids was formed, but it was still a huge coincidence. Maybe it was somehow fate? </p><p>Changbin lightly shook his head at the thought of Stray Kids being destined to be together, even though it sounded kind of nice. The vampire turned his attention back onto the siren, who was still asleep despite the noises of the others getting ready for the training. </p><p>“He really can sleep in any environment”, Changbin chuckled silently to himself, thinking back to the time where the siren had fallen asleep on his thigh while everyone else had been loudly talking. Despite the siren looking adorable while sleeping, the vampire had to wake the other up.</p><p>“Hyunjin, wake up”, the vampire coax, lightly shaking the siren’s shoulder. Hyunjin grumbled a little bit about wanting to sleep for five more minutes and then just doze off again, making Changbin laugh lightly. </p><p>“You are doing it wrong”, Jeongin chimed in. For a second, Changbin was confused where the kitsune’s voice came from, but then the younger’s head popped up beside the bed shortly afterwards. The blond didn’t pay Changbin much attention and focused on his sleeping cousin. </p><p>“Hyung, you’re late for school”, the kitsune suddenly yelled and like lighting Hyunjin shot up into a sitting position. He frantically looked around until he probably realized where he was and that he wasn’t late for school. Jeongin had almost fallen to ground when he stumbled backwards, because he was laughing so hard at the look on his cousin’s face. Changbin had a hard time to seem absolutely unbothered by the current situation, because it was indeed very funny and he wanted to laugh, but he also felt a little sorry for Hyunjin. </p><p>“I swear to the gods Yang Jeongin. At some point karma will kick your ass for jokes like that”, Hyunjin cursed, angrily looking down at the still laughing kitsune. Jeongin ignored his cousin and just laughed his heart out. </p><p>“Honestly, I will have a hearing loss at some point because of all of you”, Minho, who was the only one that already wore his trainings cloths, complained. Jisung, who stood beside the older cat hybrid, patted his boyfriend’s shoulder. “If that happens I will probably have a heart attack”, Jisung added. Changbin knew the warlock would have laughed at Hyunjin too, if Jeongin’s yell hadn’t scared him. </p><p>Without further delay, everyone got ready. Hyunjin and Jeongin went over to their room to change and met up with the rest of the group again when they left their room. Chan joined them not long after that, informing them about the Kim brothers already being down in the trainings hall. They were early this time, but Changbin really hoped that he would be able see Seungmin today. </p><p>The last four days of training he wasn’t able to see the redhead at all. He just occasionally heard his name while he was training or from Chan when the wolf hybrid talked about the Kim brothers in general. He just had been so busy training with his vampire hyungs - mostly Changkyun - that he somehow always missed Seungmin. </p><p>When the group arrived at the trainings halls they were lead to the main hall by Doyoung, who said that there was an announcement before the start of the training. It made Changbin a bit more hopeful about meeting Seungmin, but the more important question was what was the announcement all about? Did NCT figure something out?</p><p>The group had to split up since Hyunjin and Jeongin had to walk over to Ms. Hwang and the others, who weren’t participating in the rescue mission. The rest of Stray Kids walked over to their usual spot on the hall despite not having seats this time. </p><p>Changbin looked around a little bit in hope of seeing Seungmin’s red hair, but he was a little bit too short for that, which annoyed him beyond imagination. In the distance he heard the redhead’s voice between the noises of other people talking. The vampire looked around, but still couldn’t see the redhead until he caught a glimpse of red hair. </p><p>“Seungmin”, Changbin called out to the redhead almost automatically. Finally Seungmin came into sight closely followed by Byungho, Wonpil and a male with white hair Changbin was pretty sure he had never seen before. </p><p>“There you are”, Seungmin said when he joined the group. “You were harder to find than I thought”, the redhead commented with a little smirk on his lips. “If you make a joke about height now. I will kick you”, Jisung threatened jokingly, making Seungmin grin a little wider. “You know me too well”, the redhead teased and then barely dodged a kick from the blue-haired warlock. </p><p>Just seeing Seungmin grin made Changbin’s heart do a little jump. Normally, it wasn’t that bad, but ever since he talked to Hyunjin and finally admitted to another person that he had a crush on two people it became a little bit worse. </p><p>The vampire could feel someone lightly elbowing his rips and turned his head towards Felix, who had an amused smile on his face. “Missed him, huh?”, the ginger cat hybrid teased and that was the moment Changbin wanted gods to just bury him alive. Had he become obvious now, too?</p><p>“I have no clue what you are talking about”, Changbin mumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to act as natural as possible. Felix only chuckled. He had definitely become obvious. Great. </p><p>“Could I have everyone’s attention, please?”, you could hear Doyoung’s voice echo through the hall. Everyone quieted down and looked into the direction of the little stage where Doyoung was standing along with Taeyong and Yuta. Both males stood on the stage with a straight back and their hands put together, letting Changbin suggest that whatever would be announced was pretty important. </p><p>“Thank you all for coming so quickly, even though this meeting was set up pretty quickly, but we have important news”, Taeyong began and then looked over to Yuta, who step forward, and just with the movement of his right hand let a magical hologram appear in mid air. </p><p>The hologram seemed like one gigantic crystal, but it somehow felt familiar to Changbin. Had he seen such a crystal before or was he just imagining things? Suddenly the image of a masked man flashed before his inner eye. It was the man Changbin had ran away from at the Sky Clan territory. He had worn such a crystal around his neck. </p><p>“This crystal right here might be familiar to some of you. It’s something every hunters wears around their neck and just yesterday I could figure out why”, Yuta began, making another smooth gesture with his hand. The hologram zoomed into the crystal revealing what was going on inside it. Changbin would see two streams swirling around. One was very light while the other was almost black. </p><p>“These crystals can be described as magical artifacts. Why? Because they were created thousands of years ago in the ancient war where pure light magic crashed onto pure dark magic”, the warlock explained. </p><p>When Changbin heard pure dark magic his gaze involuntarily flickered over to Seungmin. The redhead’s gaze was focused onto the hologram. His dark eyes seemed to follow each stream of magic within the crystal like he was trying to figure them out just by staring. </p><p>“This combination of two opposites creates an invisible force that is able to absorb any kind of magic, which is why no supernatural being can touch it without being harmed or feeling some sort of after effect. The hunters use those crystals to cancel out magical attacks that touch them, but also use the crystal’s secondary effects”, Yuta went on, letting Changbin rip his gaze away from the demon beside him and focus back on the things that were said. </p><p>“The secondary effects boost the hunters’ stealth, meaning even for supernaturals with enhanced senses they aren’t easy to spot. This explains why they have been able to perform sneak attacks on our kind so easily. Keep it in mind while being on the rescue mission”, Yuta ended, letting the hologram disappear again while he stepped back, letting Taeyong come forward once more. </p><p>“Please remember these information while you are training to prepare yourselves better. Even though we do not want to encounter any hunters on our mission, we have to be prepared for the worst case scenario”, the red-haired guardian announced, looking through the hall. </p><p>“That would be it. I wish everyone luck with their training and if there are still questions please don’t be afraid to ask”, Taeyong dismissed the meeting. Changbin let a breath escape his lips while he processed the information he had just received. He knew the hunters were using special weapons and had those crystals, but he had never imagined that a simple necklace could be that powerful. </p><p>The vampire looked over to Seungmin just to check his reaction. The redhead had lowered his head a little and seemed to be deep in thought. It wasn’t an unusual sight since Seungmin was more of a thinker than a fighter, but Changbin had this gut feeling that told him the redhead was thinking about pure light and pure dark magic. The reason for that was quite obvious. </p><p>‘Normal’ supernatural beings had a mixture of light and dark magic in their body, but it was never exactly half and half or kept separate and pure. It was a mix with either more dark or more light magic, depending on the species. Seungmin, on the other hand, wasn’t a ‘normal’ supernatural creature. He was a demon, a creature of pure dark magic as far as the books were concerned. </p><p>“We should get going”, Chan, who was suddenly standing beside Changbin, said. The vampire was startled by the wolf hybrid’s sudden appearance and turned around to face the wolf hybrid a bit too fast. Chan didn’t seem to have noticed since he was head counting everyone of the group, who was already heading towards the exit of the hall. Changbin was basically the last one to start moving along with Seungmin. </p><p>“Stop sleeping, you two”, Minho called over his shoulder back to Changbin and Seungmin. It was a very Minho thing to do, but the most annoying part was Jisung, who was supporting his boyfriend by agreeing with him. </p><p>“Next time those two stupidly smile at each other, I will call them out”, Seungmin mumbled to himself, making Changbin chuckle a little bit. Chan proceeded to get the two moving. Outside of the main hall the whole Stray Kids group met up along with Wonpil and the white-haired male Changbin still didn’t know how to call. </p><p>“Alright does everyone know where they need to go?”, Chan asked looking around. Everyone from his group gave him a little nod. “Alright, good. After training is finished I want to meet up to maybe talk through some strategies if that is alright with the two of you”, the wolf hybrid said and then looked at Jeongin and Hyunjin. </p><p>“Don’t worry about us, hyung”, Jeongin answered this with a little smile and Hyunjin nodded in agreement. “It’s settled then. We are meeting up in the common room on the fifth floor after training”, Chan concluded, getting everyone’s verbal agreement before they spilt up. </p><p>If today’s training went well they were an huge step closer to the rescue mission.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0075"><h2>75. Doubts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung talks with Woosu, Seungmin has a theory concerning Byungho and Changbin is worried about a certain redhead.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The training was going well, as far as Jisung could tell. At first, the warlock had been nervous since Jimin decided to bring his two mates along with him without even mentioning it to Jisung beforehand. </p><p>Even though Jisung wouldn’t admit it to anyone, he felt a little bit intimidated by Taehyung and Jungkook. Maybe because Jungkook had an unusual large wolf form despite him not being significantly tall as a person, or maybe because Taehyung occasionally looked at him with his ice blue tiger eyes, causing the young warlock to involuntary shiver. It made Jimin being a fairy a true blessing. After all, as a non-shifter, the pink haired male couldn’t transform into something scarier. </p><p>Together with Jungkook and Taehyung, Jimin and Jisung trained keeping the portals stable while someone was passing through in a hurry. At the beginning, Jisung thought it wouldn’t make much of a difference, but it did and he was glad that they were training it. </p><p>When someone was running through a portal with full force, a part of the magic within the portal was ripped off if it was left unattended. This meant that Jisung’s main task, as the magical creature who would stay back and make sure the portal remained stable, was to replace the pieces of magic that would be ripped off. This would surely become tiring over time, since it would require a lot of Jisung’s magic, but the young warlock would be fine. At least he hoped that. </p><p>After a good three hours of Jungkook and Taehyung speeding through the portals in their animal forms, the four decided to take a break before they tried the same thing over a bigger distance. Jimin and Jisung needed to be able to create portals over a great distance, after all. </p><p>Jisung flopped onto the ground and leaned onto the wall. He didn’t know he needed this break until Jimin suggested it. It was a really good thing that the fairy kept track of things like that. Jisung would have probably continued to train until his legs got wobbly from the extensive loss of magical energy. </p><p>“Hey Jisung, catch”, someone called out to the young warlock. Jisung turned his head towards the voice and was barely able to catch the water bottle thrown at him. A little bewildered did the young warlock look at Woosu who had an apologetic smile on his face while he approached the male with the blue hair. </p><p>At first Jisung wanted to loudly complain and maybe tease the slightly older warlock, but a little bit of guilt made his chest feel heavy, so he just showed the other a smile. “Thank you for the water, hyung”, Jisung thanked the other instead and then focused on the water bottle in his hands while Woosu sat down next to him. </p><p>“And how is your training going?”, the white haired male asked, looking at Jisung with his dark eyes that were so oddly familiar to the blue haired warlock. It was a little strange how all five Kim brothers had the same dark eyes, but it was the only thing that made them look like they were related. </p><p>Jisung mentally sighed and focused more on the question of the slightly older male than comparing him to Seungmin or the other Kim brothers. In all honesty, Jisung didn’t know much about Woosu, but still had the feeling he could casually talk to the other about anything. </p><p>“It’s fine. Are you still training with Lee Minhyuk from MonstaX?”, Jisung asked before taking a sip out of the water bottle. Woosu nodded and smiled a little bit. The smiles of the other warlock were wide and comparable to sunshine, which made him resemble Felix in some way. It was weird considering he was Seungmin’s brother, but the other’s smile were definitely contagious.</p><p>“Yes, Minhyuk-hyung have been paired up together, so I have been assigned to the MonstaX group. They should be here any minute, by the way. We did a little hall change with Got7 and I went ahead to see who was training here”, Woosu explained while Jisung nodded along. It was kind of impressive that Woosu only recently joined the rescue mission and was already so well adjusted to everything. </p><p>Woosu turned his head away from Jisung looking at the hall for a short second before he continued to speak. “I’m glad I’m able to help if I’m honest, even though making sure a group like MonstaX can return safely from a probably dangerous situation is a huge responsibility”, he went on, looking at nothing in particular. </p><p>Jisung felt a cold shudder run through his body while he listened to Woosu. The way the other warlock formulated his part in the rescue mission let something dawn to Jisung. It was odd, but the young male with the blue hair had never fully realized that if he messed up the portal spell under the pressure of the rescue mission every member of BTS could get into serious trouble or maybe even die at the hands of a hunter or worse his mother.</p><p>The warlock looked at the water bottle in his lap, feeling how his grip on it became a little tighter. Now it was no wonder that Jimin didn’t like him. The fairy probably hated the thought of laying the fate of his entire group into the hands of a young, inexperienced warlock like Jisung. </p><p>In all honesty, if Jisung would be in the same situation he would react the exact same way as Jimin. He wouldn’t like the person, who he was forced to entrust the fate of his group, all too much, or he would just train that person until he was absolutely sure they could do the job flawlessly.  </p><p>“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you”, Woosu spoke up beside Jisung, ripping the warlock out of his thoughts. He blinked a few times and then looked back to the other warlock, who was facing him with an empathetic smile on his lips but worry in his eyes. </p><p>“I formulated my sentence a bit too bluntly, right? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you anxious”, Woosu apologized once more. Jisung immediately shook his head and waved his hands a little, not liking that the other was now apologizing. There was no reason for the other to do that. After all, Jisung have had enough time to come up with that conclusion by himself. </p><p>“Don’t apologize, please. It wasn’t your fault at all. I ... I should have realized it myself”, the blue haired warlock hurriedly said. Woosu sighed a little relived, but then the sigh turned into a chuckle, letting Jisung look at him with a tilted head. The warlock frowned and tried to comprehend what the other thought was so funny. Did he just not have the ability to understand anyone with the surname Kim or came Woosu’s chuckling out of nowhere?</p><p>“This all is a lot of responsibility, but I’m sure we will master it just fine. We aren’t alone, after all”, the white haired warlock then said, smiling encouragingly. Jisung thought for a second and then realized that the other was right. No one would be alone when they went on the rescue mission. Everyone that had to take care of the portals like Jisung and Woosu would be accompanied by other magical creatures with the same task. If someone was suddenly breaking underneath the stress or tension, someone would be able to talk them into the right mind or back them up. </p><p>“You’re right”, Jisung breathed out, letting his head rest against the wall while he looked upwards. Even if he screwed up badly, Seungmin would probably be right next to him and help him. Right? </p><p>“Jisung? We’re getting back to training. Are you coming?”, Jisung then heard Jimin call. The young warlock looked straight ahead and spotted the fairy together with Taehyung and Jungkook standing near the hall’s exit.</p><p>“Gotta go”, Jisung said and stood up. He wanted to run to his trainings group, but remember that the water bottle in his hand was not his own. He looked back down to Woosu and handed the other the water bottle back. </p><p>“Thanks for the water and little talk though, hyung”, the blue-haired warlock added with a smile. Woosu took the water bottle while he mirrored the smile, but it seemed a lot brighter on his face. </p><p>“Likewise”, Woosu replied before Jisung jogged all the way over to his trainings group. Again, he could feel how his chest got a little heavy. Heavy with guilt. Woosu was so nice to him and didn’t even have a clue that it was Jisung’s mother that robbed him of a part of his family. </p><p>———————————</p><p>Seungmin was waiting almost feverishly to get a chance to pull Byungho to the side and talk to him about the hunters’s crystals alone. He was sure the other must have realized too that it could be possible for him to touch the crystals because he was the only creature Seungmin knew was created from the connection of a being of pure light and pure darkness. </p><p>Still, there could be a chance that Byungho wouldn’t want to effectively make use of that possibility, because it could reveal what he really was. It would be an understandable reason. After all, Seungmin himself was still procrastinating on revealing being a demon to all of his friends, despite him believing that it could solve his issue with his moral compass. </p><p>At the moment, Seungmin was just absentmindedly training with Byungho. It was almost boring to the demon since he was able to master the basic combat spells Matthew had shown him rather quickly. He also made use of his own little invention quite often to perfect it. </p><p>Over the course of the last four hours, the redhead probably threw more portals through the trainings hall than shot magical blasts or created shields. It was pretty fun to him, especially because he didn’t need to really focus and could let his mind wander elsewhere without Matthew saying he needed to keep track of his opponent’s moves. Though thinking like that made him almost miss someone yelling “Let’s take a fifteen minute break”. </p><p>Seungmin halted his action and lowered his hand with the throwable portal. He quickly scanned  the hall for the someone who yelled only to discover that it had been Matthew. “Maybe I should pay a little more attention, after all”, the demon thought to himself and let the portal in his hand disappear with a flick of his wrist. </p><p>“Keep your mind in here, will you?”, Seungmin heard Byungho lightly scold while walking towards him. The demon turned his head towards his older brother and immediately remembered why he should have hoped for a break in the first place. </p><p>“I will be totally focused after we talked privately”, Seungmin stated, looking into the brunette’s eyes. A short flash of confusion was seen in them before Byungho’s completely calm expression told Seungmin that the older knew what the younger meant. Still, the young demon couldn’t tell if Byungho was happy about it or not. For once the redhead loathed his brother’s demonic side and therefore his ability to hide his true emotions from even a kitsune or another demon. </p><p>“Wonpil-hyung. We will be off for a short while, so don’t worry”, Seungmin said in his demon voice to his oldest brother, who was across the hall talking to Matthew. “Alright. Don’t do anything stupid”, the older demon replied without interrupting his chat with the blond guardian for even a second. It was almost sad how demons could even fool the great magical guardians. </p><p>“Let’s go”, Seungmin said to Byungho, nodding towards the exit of the hall. There was no noticeable reaction from the brunette, but he started walking and Seungmin quickly matched his pace. The redhead was eyeing his brother from the side, trying to figure out what he was feeling right now, but he was unreadable right now. Normally Seungmin would be able to at least get an idea of the things going on inside his older brother’s head, despite the other’s demonic side.  </p><p>“We could get water at the cafeteria afterwards”, the brunette casually said while walking. Seungmin frowned a little bit at his brother, but agreed after taking into consideration that it was a good alibi if they needed one. </p><p>Seungmin naturally took the lead and tried to find a spot with no peoples, so they could talk without fearing someone might hear them. Since no one was in the upper floors at the moment, Seungmin decided one of the common rooms was a nice, quiet and isolated spot. </p><p>On the third floor the two brothers found the common room completely empty and non verbally decided to stay there. Seungmin turned to his brother and wanted to start to explain his theory, but Byungho was a little faster. </p><p>“We don’t know for sure that I’m immune to the hunters’s crystal and we have no safe way of proofing it”, the older said straightforward, taking Seungmin by surprise. It was unlike Byungho to react this way, but it showed that he did think the same as Seungmin when Yuta explained the crystals. Still, the redhead was a bit puzzled why Byungho said there was no safe way of proofing it. NCT was in the possession of at least one of those crystals. They only needed to get it, give it to Byungho and see if he reacted to it negatively or not. </p><p>“There is a way to proof it. Just get the crystal Yuta examined and give it to you to see what happens”, Seungmin suggested, tilting his head to the side a little bit. A sudden wave of pain rolled over the demon’s head the minute he finished talking. The redhead grimace and raised a hand to his throbbing head. Did he do something wrong? No, there was no way he was wrong. Just taking the crystal and testing out the theory was the easiest option. </p><p>“Seungmin?”, the redhead heard Byungho ask worriedly. Seungmin looked at the brunette and tried to focus his eyes on his face, but everything seemed to slowly blurry together before his eyes. It was just like before he passed out because of his confused moral compass. Wait, was that what was happening right now? A little bit of panic flooded his system, making his vision clear enough to see his concerned brother. </p><p>“Moral compass, but I don’t know what triggered it”, the redhead barely brought out between gritted teeth. It felt like his voice was slowly disappearing, but at the same time he wanted to just scream. Seungmin barely registered Byungho’s reaction to his statement nor could he read the others body language. It was like he was going blind while still being able to see, it felt entirely bizarre and his throbbing head didn’t make things easier. </p><p>“I have no idea if this works, but Seungmin you need to listen to me and believe every word I say, alright?”, he heard Byungho say. As an answer the redhead just nodded, not trusting his voice at all. He would either say nothing or just scream, but he wasn’t sure. </p><p>Suddenly he saw a nice glowing light, flooding his blurry vision. It was bright, but didn’t hurt his eyes instead it felt very warm and pleasant. </p><p>“I think the tigger for this was that you indirectly suggested to just take the crystal Yuta used for his research from his office without asking for his permission, which is basically stealing. I know you used to do a lot of stuff you thought was the right thing to protect or help someone close to you, but ever since we met the rest of Stray Kids that slowly became less. It might sound strange at first, but think about it”, Seungmin heard Byungho say in a strong, but pleasant voice. The older’s words were comforting, but stern enough to to get through to the redhead. </p><p>The young demon’s vision became a little less blurry, making it possible to see the pleasant light a bit clearer while also noticing that it was Byungho causing this light. The older had reached out his hand and let it glow while he was probably attempting to heal Seungmin. Seungmin could now see his brother a bit better, but his head still hurt like someone drove a truck against his skull. </p><p>“Maybe your moral compass went crazy because it was used to you lying, deceiving and tricking people despite your good intentions, but now a part of you wants to be more open about everything because a part of you realized that everyone in Stray Kids will be okay with it”, Byungho finished his little speech. </p><p>Seungmin felt how his headache was slowly becoming less and less and the way his vision began to completely clear. Now he could fully see Byungho, who was standing in front of him, letting the pleasant golden light, which usually appeared when he healed someone, shine in front of him. The redhead blinked a few times and straightened his back, letting his hand drop from his head. </p><p>“Are you okay now?”, Byungho asked carefully. The older male was looking at his younger brother with worry being evident in his brown eyes, which shone with a bit of gold in them. Seungmin nodded feeling a little drained, but otherwise fine. Byungho really managed to prevent the redhead’s moral compass from completely overloading Seungmin’s body. </p><p>“I have no idea why that worked”, Seungmin mumbled mostly to himself. Byungho let his hands drop to his sides, only to take a step forward and tightly hug his younger brother. The young demon was at first a bit confused, but then wrapped his arms around the brunette, appreciating the other’s warmth and comfort. </p><p>“You just scared me so much. You have no idea”, Byungho muttered, holding the smaller male just a bit tighter. Seungmin buried his face in his brother’s shoulder with a heavy heart. Despite knowing that there was no way he could have known something like that could happen, he felt guilty. </p><p>“I’m sorry, hyung. I had no clue this would happen”, the redhead mumbled and slowly let go of his brother. “It’s not your fault”, Byungho said letting the other out his embrace. Seungmin sighed and took a step back, avoiding to look into his brother’s eyes. He felt bad for making Byungho worry, even though the logical side of his brain and Byungho told him not to be. </p><p>The redhead lightly shook his head and pushed all the thoughts that reminded him of his messed up moral compass away. There were more important things to talk about than his strange condition. </p><p>“About the thing with the crystals-“, Seungmin wanted to start. “If the rescue mission goes wrong and we have to face a bunch of hunters, I won’t hold back. If protecting our friends means taking action upon an unsure possibility without knowing what will happen to me, I won’t care in the moment it become necessary”, Byungho interrupted the redhead, looking directly into his little brother’s eyes. Seungmin’s mouth remained open for a little while. Byungho sounded determined with no bit of insecurity in his words or eyes. It made Seungmin question if he would do the same thing for his friends, or if he would be too much of a coward to show his true self even in the most dangerous situation. </p><p>Just thinking that way let him have a bit of a headache again, but he pushed the feeling down, focusing on Byungho. Sometimes the brunette really was a lot braver than him, even though he hated to admit that. </p><p>“Then no testing the theory beforehand?”, Seungmin asked for clarification. “No testing beforehand in hopes of not needing it in the first place”, Byungho repeated, adding a part. Seungmin nodded again, discharging his idea of testing his theory with the crystal Yuta examined completely. </p><p>“We should get back before someone misses us”, the redhead then stated. Byungho just looked at him with worry glimmering in his dark eyes. It reminded Seungmin of his condition. Why did his moral compass decide to throw a fit right before an important event? Couldn’t it have done that afterwards?</p><p>“Are you sure you are well enough to continue training”, Byungho asked carefully, mustering Seungmin for a short moment before his dark eyes looked into the redhead’s. The young demon sighed and nodded. He felt a little tired, but he would hate himself if he didn’t continue to train, even though he had been a bit bored in the previous four hours. </p><p>“Slacking is no option, so let’s go”, the redhead replied after Byungho continued to look at him worriedly. Seungmin turned away from his older brother and started to walk, hoping that Byungho would follow him, because for once he didn’t know if he had enough strength to pretend like he was fine. Luckily Byungho followed him and didn’t try to convince the young demon to go home and rest. </p><p>After getting water bottles from the little makeshift cafeteria, the two brothers returned to their trainings hall. They were met with a surprise when they entered the hall and saw Chan, Felix,  Minho, Changbin, Dowoon and Wonpil stand together with Matthew and MonstaX’s I.M as well as the three vampire royal guards Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun. </p><p>“There you are”, Matthew spoke up, looking into Seungmin and Byungho’s direction. “We have been waiting for you. We want to try out some group strategies and train the overall execution of the rescue plan”, the blond guardian explained, making Seungmin internally curse. Hiding his mild tiredness and the little headache that was still pulsing through his skull would be a lot harder this way, but he had no choice. He would have to go through with this if he liked it or not. </p><p>————————</p><p>Training in the groups they were assigned to for the rescue mission was the thing Changbin had wanted to do in the beginning until he had realized that he wouldn’t be in the same group as Stray Kids. No, he was kind of the leader of his own group that consisted of Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Sehun, Dowoon, Wonpil, Changkyun and the guardian Kim Matthew. </p><p>It was weird that he was supposed to be the leader of people that were older and much more experienced than him, but a part of him knew it was purely because of his status. In the end Baekhyun or Changkyun would call the shots and not him. Changbin was basically just the kid that wanted to avenge his parents and free the few vampires of the vampires’s royal palace that were still alive and held captive by the hunters. </p><p>The training started off with Matthew suggesting that they would train the entering-through-the-portal thing first, since it was crucial for everyone in each group. Changbin was amazed by the fact that both Matthew and Wonpil as well as Byungho and Seungmin had no issue with creating portals at all. It didn’t even take them a minute to create and stabilize them. </p><p>Matthew then instructed all the vampires should run through the portal with their supernatural speed, so he and Wonpil could get used to keeping the portal stable while someone was passing through with such high speed. </p><p>Again Changbin was impressed by how well this was all going, considering they started to train that yesterday. While they were training, Changbin glanced to Seungmin now and then since a gut feeling told him that something was up with the redhead. The young vampire thought nobody noticed this until Changkyun pinched his sore shoulder, making him yelp in pain. </p><p>“What was that for?”, Changbin asked while snapping his head around to look at the older vampire, who stood behind him. He wore a smile of amusement on his lips. “Focus on your training and not the cute redhead”, the older replied lowly, so only the short vampire could hear him. Changbin felt his cheeks heating up a bit at that, but before any sort of blush became visible Matthew raised his voice. </p><p>“Alright let’s do a little training fight to see what we can improve. Let’s start with Stray Kids against the vampires as the hunters”, Matthew suggested, getting almost everyone’s verbal agreement. Changbin quietly sulked over the fact that he wouldn’t be able to fight alongside his close friends, but the training would be useless if he switched the group. </p><p>The two groups separated, going to different corners of the trainings hall. After all, they weren’t the only ones there. The GOT7 group was training here too. If you watched them for just a few minutes, you would be able to tell that they have fought alongside each other more than once. They seemed to be so used to the other’s movements they didn’t need to even glance at their team members to know what they were doing next. It reminded Changbin of the many times he spent watching the royal guards train. </p><p>Involuntarily Changbin looked over to Chanyeol and Sehun, who stood on the side along with Matthew, since they were the only ones left of said royal guard along with Baekhyun, who stood to his left. He felt a sting in his heart just looking at them now. Unlike the many other vampire that had “disappeared” after the ambush of the hunters on the royal vampire palace, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Sehun were the confirmed last survivors of the royal guard. Their teammates were dead, probably killed while fighting beside them. </p><p>Just knowing this reminded Changbin of his own powerlessness. He was the inexperienced, young, mostly unknown and still uncrowned king of all vampires. He was the heir to a throne which was under the control of the enemy and there was no way he could win it back all on his own. He was still too weak for that.                                                                            </p><p>“Focus, Binnie”, Changkyun reminded the young vampire and lightly elbowed his rips, ripping him out of his little trance. “Sorry”, Changbin mumbled as response and did as the older told him. The black haired vampire scanned over their “enemies”. </p><p>If Changbin was honest, he was scared of all of his friends, but especially Seungmin made him worry in more than one way. For one, something was off about the redhead, but Changbin couldn’t put his finger on it. Second, the vampire knew Seungmin was incredibly smart and had excellent control over his magic, making him a big threat to anyone in his way. </p><p>“Everyone ready?”, Matthew asked looking over to the Stray Kids group. “When you are”, Chan replied before shifting into his wolf form with a jump forward. The grey wolf that now stood in front of his group had his head lowered a little, ready to just dash forward and land the first hit, but Changbin suspected that Chan was a defensive type. After all, it would fit his protecting and caring personality. He will probably stay back and protect his group mates and not throw himself into battle head first. Therefore Changbin suspected Chan’s current gesture to be a feint. </p><p>“You are calling the shots for this one, Binnie”, Baekhyun mumbled, glancing at the young uncrowned king. Changbin just snapped his head around and faced the older, asking himself why he should be leading this trainings battle when he wouldn’t have the command in the rescue mission. It took the young vampire a while to remember that they were supposed to be the hunters, meaning the would tone down their vampire abilities as much as possible. </p><p>“Go ahead. It’s just training”, Changkyun reminded him quietly, while focusing his gaze on the group in the opposite corner. Changbin took a little breath, mentally preparing himself for the task. He let his eyes wander over the members of Stray Kids, getting an idea when his eyes landed on Seungmin and Byungho, who stood beside each other. </p><p>If they were doing a trainings fight that required the vampires to pretend to be hunters they should do it right, which meant including the effect the crystals had on magic. </p><p>“Can I suggest something before we start?”, Changbin asked, looking over to Matthew. The guardian blinked in mild confusion. He seemed a bit surprised by the sudden request, but nodded anyway, giving Changbin the permission to continue. </p><p>“Could you try to simulate the effect of the hunters’s crystals? It would make the whole thing more realistic and therefore better for training purposes”, the young vampire quickly explained. Everyone looked at Changbin a little wide eyed like they hadn’t expected such a suggestion from the young vampire. Matthew seemed to think the idea over before he nodded again. </p><p>“Sounds like a good idea to me”, the guardian agreed and then looked over to Seungmin and Byungho. “Are you okay when I neutralize your magic for brief moments when you come to close to a vampire?”, he asked the two Kim brothers. </p><p>Byungho looked over to Seungmin, not giving away his answer just yet. Changbin focused on the redhead, who seemed to have spaced out for a moment, but was focusing on Byungho now. It was worrying Changbin a little bit to see Seungmin so unfocused. </p><p>“We’re okay with it”, Byungho declared loud enough for Matthew to hear through the hall. Changbin’s gaze remained on Seungmin. The redhead was looking straight ahead, probably focusing on his first opponent. Changbin lightly bit his lips. He was unsure if Seungmin really was okay with his magic being cancelled for a few moments. After all, the vampire knew how important magic was to the younger, but he was worried about the other feeling tired or something similar. It would explain his lack of focus.</p><p>“Alright”, Matthew agreed and readied himself and so did the rest. With his suggestion being accepted, Changbin quickly came up with a little strategy. He would let Changkyun as the objectively best fighter from the vampire line up take on Seungmin while Baekhyun would go against Byungho to take the two magic users out of the game as fast as possible. Changbin himself would try to take care of Minho while Dowoon would take on Chan. Wonpil should be able to keep Felix in check until someone got the chance to help him out. </p><p>Knowing that Changkyun, Baekhyun and Dowoon were able to understand his hand signal because they grew up at the vampires’s royal palace, he turned to Wonpil. “Wonpil-hyung”, Changbin said lowly looking at the older redhead, hoping the other could hear him. He was pretty sure Chan, Minho and Felix were already eavesdropping unintentionally. </p><p>The redhead turned his head towards him in question. “Try to focus on Felix”, Changbin instructed. Wonpil nodded and then turned his head back, focusing on the ‘enemies’. Changbin could feel the eyes of his vampire hyungs on him. He casually put his right hand out of Stray Kids’ sight and quickly showed with his fingers who needed to take on who. It was basically just showing coordinates with his fingers, but it had taken a lot of time to perfect Changbin briefly recalled. </p><p>Before Changbin could finish his command for Dowoon, Minho suddenly dashed forward together with Felix while Chan covered their backs by running after them with a little distance, letting Changbin’s previous suggestion come true. Seungmin and Byungho stayed back completely, probably serving as back up. </p><p>Without further delay, Changbin took some steps forward, letting the rest know they should follow his strategy now. Changkyun and Baekhyun dashed past Changbin in an instant aiming for Seungmin and Byungho, which didn’t get unnoticed by Minho, Felix and Chan. Changbin saw Minho’s piercing green cat eyes trail over to Changkyun like it was in slow motion. For that little moment the young vampire wished he could use his supernatural speed since it would have been an easy win for him. Regardlessly, he would put the observation to use. </p><p>The young vampire started running forward like a normal human, while Dowoon and Wonpil were on his sides. Changbin hoped that Dowoon knew he should go for Chan and not Felix, but then he had another idea when he noticed that Chan ran more on the left side, which was nearer to Felix like he was prepared to cover him more than Minho. </p><p>“Dowoon, cover”, Changbin quickly yelled and showed two small gestures with his right hand when Dowoon looked into his direction. The first symbol was for north and the second was a simple ‘one’. It meant that Dowoon should cover the first person north which in this case was Wonpil. </p><p>Changbin then let a loud whistle, which echoed through the hall and automatically attracted the attention of Minho, Felix and Chan. It let them be off guard for a moment. It was enough time for Changkyun and Baekhyun to quickly pass them. In all honesty, it was a dirty trick, but it had worked. </p><p>Minho cursed under his breath and Changbin took that as the opportunity to attack, but the cat hybrid reacted a lot quicker than expected and ducked away under Changbin’s punch while trying to land a blow on the vampire’s stomach. </p><p>A flash of grey fur in the corner of Changbin’s eye let the vampire immediately jump back. In the end it wasn’t fully necessary since Dowoon blocked the blow from the grey wolf hybrid by giving him a rather gently push on the side to get him away from Changbin without hurting him.</p><p>Knowing that Dowoon managed to cover both Wonpil and him, Changbin let his full attention turn towards Minho, who was already trying a feint on the vampire. Changbin internally laughed when he immediately saw the feint. Minho pretended to punch him, but in the end went for a kick with his right leg. Goodness Changbin had trained way too many feints with Changkyun. </p><p>Using his hyungs teaching, Changbin found a little hole in Minho’s defense within a split second. He immediately took his chance and pretended to dodge the punch, but the second the cat hybrid balanced his whole weigh onto one foot the vampire quickly kicked his legs away, letting Minho almost fall flat on his face. Changbin quickly caught him by his arm while using his supernatural speed. </p><p>“Nice try, hyung”, the vampire lightly teased the older, who quickly steadied himself. “Shut it”, the cat hybrid grumbled and ripped his arm out of Changbin’s light grip. The vampire lightly chuckled and wanted to resume their fight, but then he heard someone call for Matthew. </p><p>Changbin looked over to the guardian and quickly followed his gaze, which laid on a rather familiar brunette. It was J. Seph, who stood at the entrance of the hall, calling for his fellow guardian and group member. </p><p>“Jaebum, I need you. Mark and Jackson too”, J Seph added, looking at the GOT7 group, who had stopped their training for a brief moment. Changbin bit the inside of his cheek already having a bad feeling about this situation. Why would J.Seph come to get Matthew and the three barrier mages of GOT7 if it wasn’t something serious? </p><p>Matthew jogged over to his group mate just like the three barrier mages of GOT7. Together they left the hall, leaving the rest baffled and worried. Had something gone wrong? Had there been another attack on a huge group of supernaturals? No, that couldn’t be, right? They would have been informed if it was something this serious, right? Maybe they just needed to set up some barriers or something similar. </p><p>“Don’t worry everyone. I’m sure it’s nothing serious”, Chanyeol spoke up, jogging towards Changbin and the rest. The vampire looked to the side to the remaining members of GOT7 before he focused on Changbin. </p><p>“We should continue training. Maybe let Jinyoung, Youngjae, Bambam and Yugyeom join too”, the tall male suggested. Changbin nodded slowly before reminded himself to focus on the task at hand and think about the rest later.  </p><p>“Sounds like a plan, hyung. Let’s get started on that”, Changbin agreed with a bit of confidence, but a part of him was still worried about the reason for Matthew, JB, Mark and Jackson’s leaving in the middle of training.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0076"><h2>76. Difficult decision</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jeongin finds out Hyunjin and Changbin are dating and Chan makes an important decision.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin was sitting on one of the couches of the common room and stared at the ceiling while waiting for his friends to arrive. Jeongin was sitting next to him, doing basically the same thing. The siren let a sigh escape him and let himself fall to the side, so his head rested on his cousin’s shoulder. The kitsune didn’t let that bother him and continued to stare holes into the ceiling in hopes of making the time pass faster. </p><p>The training of the two had ended around half an hour ago. They had made their way to the common room on the third floor almost immediately, not losing much time. In retrospect they should have taken their time, considering that they now needed to wait for an unpredictable amount of time, but neither of them dared to complain about it. They knew that their friends were probably training a lot harder than them. </p><p>“This is boring”, Jeongin said and suddenly stood up, causing Hyunjin to fall to the side, almost hitting his head on the couch’s armrest. The siren quickly caught himself, successfully keeping his head from making contact with the piece of furniture. The black-haired male then glared at the blond in front of the couch, who seemed to be in thought and seemingly didn’t notice Hyunjin’s glare.</p><p>“We should do something, so waiting is not so boring”, the kitsune suggested, looking at his cousin. Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, already questioning what they could possible do without leaving this place. </p><p>“You know we have to stay here, right?”, the siren reminded the blond. Jeongin rolled his eyes at that. </p><p>“Of course I know. I’m not stupid, hyung”, he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, looking around the room with a bit of a mischievous glint in his eyes. Hyunjin wasn’t sure whenever he liked it or not that his cousin was looking around the room like he was searching for trouble. </p><p>“We could play a game”, the kitsune then said, looking back to Hyunjin with his eyes shining with excitement. Hyunjin squinted his eyes at the blond. Something about this suggestion was suspicious. What was the kitsune aiming at with this? </p><p>“What kind of game?”, Hyunjin asked carefully. Jeongin grinned lightly. “One truth, two lies”, the kitsune answered, confusing the siren to a certain extend. Why had the blond looked around the room when the game didn’t require that? Oh wait, he probably did it to confuse or distract  Hyunjin, but it was still a stupid game choice considering that they grew up together and therefore knew a lot about each other. Still, the siren was bored enough to consider agreeing. </p><p>“Alright, let’s play”, Hyunjin answered while properly sitting up. He wasn’t entirely sure if he already knew Jeongin’s true intentions, but he was a bit too bored to say no to a little game to pass the time. The kitsune’s smile grew a little bit and he let himself plop down next to Hyunjin. He turned towards his cousin and laid his legs over the siren’s lap. </p><p>“I’ll start”, the kitsune smiled. “First, I never directly lie to Auntie. Second, I never missed a day in school. And third I don’t have a best friend”, Jeongin said, looking at his cousin expectedly. Hyunjin chuckled at the obvious lies. </p><p>Jeongin had missed days at school before for various reason. Mostly he didn’t feel good or fell sick over the weekend. It was the most normal thing ever to miss at least one or two days of school due a sickness. The second lie was that Jeongin didn’t have a best friend. The blond’s best friend was non other that Hwang Hyunjin himself. Ever since they were little, Jeongin and Hyunjin referred to each other as cousins and best friends since they knew each other the best. </p><p>The truth was the first one since the young kitsune was a little bit too scared to directly lie to Ms. Hwang. After all, she was half kitsune and would be able to see through his lies immediately. It was also important to consider that when Ms. Hwang hated something it was being lied to, meaning she would grill Jeongin the minute she realized he lied to her. </p><p>“First one is true. You would never directly lie to my mum. You are too scared to do that”, Hyunjin said in a little bit of a teasing tone, despite having the same type of fear. Jeongin rolled his eyes a little, but then nodded, proofing that Hyunjin was right. The siren smiled a little bit with pride. </p><p>“My turn then”, the siren said and then paused to think for a minute. What things could Jeongin possibly not know about him? There wasn’t much if he was honest, so he settled for simpler things. </p><p>“So, first off I don’t like dogs. Second, I love dancing. Third, I never thought about going to university”, the siren said, being sure that Jeongin already knew the true one since it was quite obvious. Even though it was a surprise to some people, Hyunjin loved dancing. He used to not like it that much when he was younger, but it grew to him over time.</p><p>“Second one is true. You love dancing”, Jeongin said, leaning back a little. Hyunjin nodded as confirmation while a little smile adored his lips. Jeongin grinned back at him, showing his white teeth a little bit. </p><p>“Alright, my turn again”, the kitsune said and straightened his back a little. “First, I’m not a member of any group. Second, I’m not a kitsune. And third I think my dear cousin is in a relationship and didn’t tell me”, Jeongin said like it was the most normal thing ever. He smiled cheekily and looked at Hyunjin with anticipation glimmering in his foxy eyes. </p><p>The siren had to bite back a laugh because of the look on his cousin’s face. Did the kitsune really want to play this game just to ask him this? Somehow he couldn’t even be mad about it. He knew something was up when Jeongin suggested to play a game. </p><p>“Did we play this game just for you to ask this indirectly?”, Hyunjin chuckled. Jeongin nodded almost eagerly and continued to look at his cousin with anticipation. He obviously wanted to know if he guessed correctly or not. It made him look like a cute, little kid, which made Hyunjin want to tease him a little bit. </p><p>“Well, first I hate my little cousin. Second, my hated little cousin isn’t my best friend”, the siren started and then paused, watching how Jeongin waited for him to continue with sparkling eyes. “And third I have a boyfriend”, the siren ended with a shy little smile on his lips. </p><p>As if it was his cue, Jeongin smiled brightly. “I knew it. It’s Changbin-hyung, right?”, the kitsune asked and Hyunjin nodded as an answer. The kitsune smiled like he won the lottery and let himself fall backwards. </p><p>“I knew it”, he said more to himself than Hyunjin. The siren brushed a stray strain of hair behind his ear, trying to hide his shyness a little bit. He and Changbin had kind of a silent agreement to not announce their relationship to the rest just now. Maybe the vampire wanted to wait for after the rescue mission. ... after the rescue mission, huh?</p><p>Just thinking about the event that was looming over the NCT headquarter made Hyunjin’s stomach turn, especially because unlike most of his friends he wasn’t taking part in it. He would stay back at the headquarter with Jeongin, his mother and the wolf hybrids and werewolves that couldn’t fight while the rest would be on a mission, risking their lives for the sake of others. Maybe the reason Changbin hadn’t announced his relationship with Hyunjin was the fact that he wasn’t sure whenever he would make it out of the rescue mission alive.</p><p>“Hyung?”, Jeongin’s worried voice ripped Hyunjin out of these dark thoughts and let him focus back on his cousin. The kitsune was sitting in front of him again, looking a bit worried. Hyunjin felt something wet on his cheek and instinctively touched it, noticing that it was his own tears. The siren quickly wiped them away, knowing that he shouldn’t cry now. </p><p>“Everything alright?”, Jeongin asked, laying his hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. The siren quickly nodded and tried to put on a smile. </p><p>“Yeah. I’m fine. Just had some bad thoughts”, he admitted. Jeongin looked at him with sympathy and leaned forward, hugging his cousin. Like it was an instinct, Hyunjin hugged the blond back while trying to pull himself together. </p><p>“Trust me I understand it”, the kitsune mumbled, reminding Hyunjin of the fact that Jeongin was Felix’s mate. They shared a special bond just like Minho and Jisung or Chan and Byungho. They were all connected with their mate by a red thread, which grew stronger over time. </p><p>A part of Hyunjin wished he could change his mind and join the rescue mission, but his mother would metaphorically kill him and he feared that he would be too much of a sudden change. Besides, he couldn’t really do anything to help unlike Jeongin, whose magical skills and illusion as well as his natural ability to teleport could be essential assets for the mission. </p><p>The siren was pulled back to reality when he felt Jeongin tense a little bit and then just pull back from the hug. For a second, Hyunjin was worried, but then he noticed the concentration in the blond’s eyes and realized that he had just heard something. </p><p>“I think the rest is finally coming”, the kitsune stated, focusing back on Hyunjin. The siren nodded and wiped his face with his shirt, just to be sure there were no more tears visible. He didn’t want to worry the others since they already had enough on their plate. </p><p>Shortly after that, Hyunjin could hear the rest approaching, but he wasn’t prepared for Felix being the first one, who was storming around the corner. </p><p>“Innie I’m back”, the cat hybrid declared loudly before basically throwing himself on the couch to hug the kitsune. </p><p>“Hyung you are heavy”, the kitsune complained, but he still had an adorable little smile on his lips. One that even Hyunjin rarely got to see over the years, but the siren still had to refer from laughing at Jeongin’s expression because it was obvious how he tried to mask his cute smile with an annoyed look. It didn’t really work, but it was the effort that counted, right?</p><p>Felix just happily nuzzled his head on the blond’s shoulder and for a short moment Hyunjin swore he heard the cat hybrid purr, but then the rest had to walk in. </p><p>“Young love. Adorable really”, Jisung commented in a teasing tone when he saw Felix and Jeongin. The kitsune turned his head towards the warlock with an raised eyebrow. </p><p>“Because you and Minho-hyung are that much older and wiser?”, the blond deadpanned. “Definitely”, Jisung replied with a smug little grin on his face that was obviously just to tease them. Jeongin just rolled his eyes and gave up. </p><p>Hyunjin chuckled to himself while watching them, but then his gaze fell onto Seungmin. The redhead was standing beside Byungho, almost leaning onto the older and seemed a bit zoned out. A certain tiredness, maybe even exhaustion, was visible in Seungmin’s dark eyes and it worried Hyunjin endlessly. Was the training for the magical creatures so hard today or had something happened to the redhead? </p><p>“Guys don’t forget why we are here in the first place”, Chan reminded, gaining everyone’s attention. Hyunjin only glanced at his leader before his gaze wandered back to Seungmin. The redhead seemed a little more awake now, but he obviously wasn’t entirely fine. </p><p>Byungho nudged Seungmin into Hyunjin’s direction and in the end the redhead flopped down onto the couch beside the siren. One look from the older brunette was enough to let Hyunjin understand that for the time being the siren should take care of the redhead, but without making it obvious. Still, Byungho sat down on the ground in front of the two younger males, leaning against the couch while looking at Chan. </p><p>The wolf hybrid with the silver-grey hair sat in front of the group with Changbin by his side while Minho and Jisung had settled down in front of the couch just like Byungho. Hyunjin had to admit that the serious glimmer in Chan’s eyes and the clam expression on his face made him look like the leaders of stronger, bigger groups. It amazed the siren since he knew he could never pull something like that off, but his eyes still flicker over to a certain vampire. </p><p>Changbin sat on the ground cross legged with his hands placed on his ankles. He seemed focus on the current situation, but his black eyes still flickered over to Hyunjin and Seungmin from time to time. Hyunjin could imagine why. The vampire was just as worried about the redhead as Hyunjin was, but he kept it to himself for the sake of the group meeting. </p><p>“Alright. Let’s start with the basic formation that we keep up while searching in the hunters’s headquarter. We already had a pretty good one for the trainings fights, but I would say that Byungho shouldn’t stay back with me and rather be a little bit more in the front or completely in the middle”, Chan began, looking at everyone for a moment. Hyunjin felt something move beside him and his eyes once again fell onto Seungmin. </p><p>“I would put him completely in the front and not Minho”, Seungmin spoke up while straightening his back a little. He probably tried to not seem so tired. </p><p>“I agree with Seungmin”, Byungho said, backing up his younger brother. “We wouldn’t be as fast as we are with Minho at the front, but it’s more easy for me to cast spells if I don’t need to worry about hitting an allies. Besides, my shield would be a lot more stable if I was directly behind it”, the brunette added. </p><p>Chan seemed to take this into serious consideration, but he still asked for Minho and Felix’s thoughts as well as Changbin’s observations from today’s training. Hyunjin just listened to them discuss and plan things until he once again noticed a little movement beside him. Seungmin had leaned back again. His eyes seemed to almost fall close by themselves, but the redhead wouldn’t allow that. </p><p>The siren felt his chest hurt a little when he saw Seungmin’s exhausted state. He wanted to just wrap him up in a blanket and stay with him until he was sound asleep, but he knew he couldn’t do that. So instead the siren’s gaze feel onto the redhead’s hand that rested on the younger’s thigh. Without thinking too much about it, Hyunjin let his hand slip under Seungmin’s, intertwining their fingers automatically. </p><p>Seungmin seemed a bit startled at that and opened his tired eyes a little wider to look at his hand that now was laying on top of Hyunjin’s slightly bigger one. Then his eyes flickered up to the siren’s face, who just greeted the other male with a light smile. The redhead tiredly mirrored the smile and let his head drop to the side, so it laid on Hyunjin’s shoulder, which surprised the taller male. Immediately Hyunjin’s heartbeat became faster and the siren prayed to all known gods that Seungmin wouldn’t notice it. </p><p>“Wake me if they say something that includes me”, the redhead mumbled barely audible, but Hyunjin still heard him. Even the redhead’s voice sounded tired, which let the siren once again ask himself what they trained today to get Seungmin this drained while Byungho was seemingly fine. Before the siren could think about that, he reminded himself of the redhead’s little request. </p><p>“I will. Don’t worry”, he whispered, giving the redhead’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Somehow he wanted to give Seungmin a kiss on the head too, but he didn’t for obvious reasons. </p><p>The discussions for strategies came to a halt when everyone slowly felt tired. Seungmin was never really involved in any of the strategies since he would be staying at certain spots outside of the hunters’ headquarter along with Jisung and some other magical creatures. It was something Hyunjin felt kind of relieved to hear, but it made his worry for Changbin, Chan, Minho, Felix and Byungho only grow. </p><p>Seungmin basically woke up like it was his cue when Chan suggested that they should rest for today. He was the first one, who stood up and wanted to go, which wasn’t that unusual for him, but Hyunjin was pretty sure the redhead just wanted to cover up his tiredness. Just glancing at his friends and seeing the little bit of worry displayed in their eyes let the siren know that they were well aware of Seungmin’s obvious exhaustion. They were worried about the redhead just like the siren, but nobody addressed the issue, probably because it was an almost normal reaction to the hard training they had received. </p><p>“Hey, Seungmin could I talk to you for a minute before you head home? It’s important”, Changbin spoke up, looking at Seungmin. Hyunjin looked over to his “secret” boyfriend in surprise just like the redhead in question. </p><p>“Sure”, Seungmin agreed then looked over to Byungho. “Go ahead and text dad. I will meet you, Wonpil-hyung and Woosu-hyung down in the lobby”, the redhead added looking at his brother. Byungho hesitated for a moment, but then agreed and left the common room with the rest of the group. Jisung looked a bit vary about this, but Minho dragged him along. When Hyunjin wanted to head out too, Changbin stopped him by holding onto his arm. </p><p>“You are staying too”, the vampire said, confusing Hyunjin even more. What important thing did Changbin want to talk about with him and Seungmin. Wait. Changbin didn’t plan on confessing to Seungmin, right? No, he wouldn’t do that, right? </p><p>“So what’s so important?”, Seungmin asked, looking at Changbin with a tilted head. Hyunjin looked at the vampire too and really hoped he wasn’t doing what he thought he would. Changbin took a breath and closed his eyes for brief moment. When he reopened them, something in his expression had changed. He just seemed sincerely concerned to the point Hyunjin wasn’t sure if he should just call it cute or admit that he was very much in love with Seo Changbin. </p><p>“Look, I know I shouldn’t keep you up right now, but you know you can talk to us, right?”, Changbin began, glancing at Hyunjin when he said “us”. The siren was pretty sure the vampire just wanted a confirmation that Hyunjin would back him up, but the siren couldn’t help but have a mental discussion about how much he liked Changbin saying “us” in that context. </p><p>Seungmin seemed a bit confused, tilting his head a little bit more to the side. His puppy-like, dark eyes were scanning over Changbin’s face like he was searching for an answer to a question. </p><p>“Why are you reminding me of that, hyung?”, the redhead asked, almost too innocently. A part of Hyunjin told the siren that Seungmin was trying really hard to keep something covered, but he couldn’t name what it was or why the redhead felt the need to cover anything. Didn’t he trust them?</p><p>Hyunjin took a step over to Changbin and turned to look at Seungmin. The redhead still looked with a little bit too much innocence at them. It was almost scary how Seungmin could look innocent and cute while remaining to be extremely observant and cautious despite obvious exhaustion. </p><p>“Seungminnie, please don’t do that”, Hyunjin mumbled out loud by accident. The siren only noticed his mistake when the innocence in the redhead’s expression was gone and a bit of fear flashed in Seungmin’s dark eyes. The dark orbs flickered over to Changbin before they refocused on Hyunjin, letting something in the siren’s chest uncomfortable tighten. What was the redhead so afraid of? What was he trying to hide so desperately? </p><p>“We’re worried about you because you have been unusually tried today. That’s all it is”, Changbin reassured Seungmin and suddenly the little bit of fear in the redhead’s eyes was replaced with something Hyunjin couldn’t read or describe. The redhead let a sigh escape him while his shoulders slump a little. He seemingly stopped trying to hide his tiredness. </p><p>“I’m sorry. I will be fine tomorrow. Today was ... was just a different type of exhaustion”, the redhead finally admitted, running a hand through his red hair while looking at the ground. Hyunjin was a bit vary about this and glanced over to Changbin, who seemed to feel the same way. The vampire didn’t seem convinced either. </p><p>“I just need a good night sleep, so don’t worry”, Seungmin reassured them, waving his hands around while showing a small smile. The smile didn’t really reach the redhead’s eyes.</p><p>“Just know that you can talk to us”, Changbin repeated his previous statement. “I will”, the redhead immediately answered and then took a hesitant step forward. At first, Hyunjin didn’t understand the gesture, but then Seungmin huddled them both into a hug. </p><p>“I will”, the redhead repeated in a much more sincere tone, making Hyunjin’s heart melt. The siren let his head rest on the redhead’s shoulder, putting an arm around the redhead’s back and let the other sneak around Changbin’s waist. </p><p>“Glad to hear that”, Hyunjin heard Changbin say in a quiet voice and he couldn’t agree more with the vampire. He wasn’t sure whenever Seungmin would keep his word, but a part of him hoped he would.</p><p>————————</p><p>The following five days went by quickly. Of course, the training continued and every individual in each group did their very best. Everyone became more skilled and stronger with each passing day, but nobody really knew when the rescue mission would really happen. This was until Taeyong called in a meeting of all the groups’s leaders.</p><p>Of course, Chan was participating this meeting along with Changbin while the rest of their friends was training in the halls on the first floor. The meeting room they sat in was on the fourth floor of the NCT headquarter and a rather large room with a long desk and serval black swirling chairs. It was probably the biggest meeting room Chan has seen so far, but he also forgot to count in how many he had already been in. The NCT headquarter was just a tad too spacious to keep track of that. </p><p>Every leader of the groups, that were participating in the rescue mission, had already taken their seat on the table. Chan had Changbin to his right and to his left sat Hyunjun, the leader of the group IZ and one of Chan’s and Changbin’s classmates back at Miroh High. Chan also knew the elf, because Hyunjun and Byungho became kind of friends over time, even though the wolf hybrid couldn’t really remember how that happened. </p><p>To Changbin’s right sat Sungjin as the leader of Day6, even though his group was a little split up in the rescue mission. After all, Dowoon and Wonpil were part of the group that Changbin would lead. Chan still didn’t know whenever he liked the thought of the black haired vampire being on the frontline of the mission or not. Though, he understood why it had to be this way. The vampires had to back-up Taeyong and his group with their speed and therefore fast reactions.</p><p>The wolf hybrid closed his eyes for a moment and collected his thoughts. He needed to focus on the meeting now. After all, it had to be important. When he reopened his eyes he immediately focused on the person on the very end of the table. Taeyong stood there with Kun by his side. The guardian leaned on the table and seemed to be thinking. Still, the way the male with the red hair seemed to be putting his whole weigh on his arms told Chan that he wasn’t in the best shape. WhenTaeyong raised his head and let his blue eyes scan over the people on the table, an unparalleled determination was burning in them. It was probably the pure reason the guardian was still standing. </p><p>“Thanks for gathering here”, Taeyong began, immediately having the rooms attention on him if he hadn’t already. The man with the red hair shifted his weigh away from his arms and straightened his back. </p><p>“Some of you already know why we have gathered here and some don’t. Still, there is only one simple question I need to ask everyone of you that doesn’t need much explanation”, the guardian continued and his intense blue eyes made Chan shudder internally. With just that, the wolf hybrid had basically erased the image of the exhausted Taeyong from his mind.  </p><p>Taeyong took a little breath before he said his next sentence. “I’m asking you, as the leaders of your groups, if your members, the family you chose, are ready for the rescue mission”, the guardian asked, looking at every leader in the room. When Chan’s gaze met Taeyong’s for a brief moment the wolf hybrid not only saw the guardian’s intense blue eyes, but also something that told Chan that whatever he would say on behalf of StrayKids it would be understood. </p><p>“All of you may have noticed that we never set a date for the rescue mission and this is the reason why. We want every single creature, that will participate in it, to be ready, to be prepared for what’s to come. There would be no use in rushing, because the last thing we want is to lose more than we can win. So, if any of you feel like their group isn’t ready yet, we will wait and train them a little more”, the guardian went on while his gaze continued to search for the ones of the other leaders. </p><p>“I just need to know this now, because if we can all agree that everyone is ready for this mission, we will go through with it tomorrow”, Taeyong finished. For a short moment, Chan swore a bit of pain flashed in the guardian’s eyes when he moved a little with his shoulder. </p><p>“I guess I can say for Shownu, JB and all of KARD that we are ready for this and have been the minute you and Taeil asked us for help”, a brunette male spoke up. Chan got to know the male as J.Seph a member of KARD, the group of Matthew, who Chan got to know a little over the last days. According to Matthew, KARD had no real leader or at least never settled for one officially, but when something needed to be discussed among the leaders Chan had only ever noticed J.Seph to be there.</p><p>The wolf hybrid ripped his gaze away from the other leaders and stared at the surface of the table in front of him. This was a big decision he had to make right on the spot. Sure, he had watched all of the members of his group train and knew what they could do and what not. He made it his mission to get to know their strengths and weaknesses in the last days, but he still felt a bit overwhelmed. The impact of the decision he would make now was huge. </p><p>Chan couldn’t help but glance over to Changbin. The vampire still had his gaze focused on Taeyong, but he hadn’t said anything yet. His black eyes with the light red shimmer had something calculating in them, which Chan had seen before. It was the same look Changbin had on his face while he was fighting. </p><p>“This is a little big”, Chan heard someone mumble next to him, letting his gaze wander to his left where Hyunjun was sitting. The elf with the grey hair with the lilac shimmer was tapping his right pointer finger on his thigh while he was lightly biting his lip. He was obviously thinking about the decision Chan had to make too. It reminded the wolf hybrid of the fact that Hyunjun was around his age and just as inexperienced as a leader as he was despite having been in a group for much longer than him. </p><p>“Okay don’t look at the others. Think for yourself”, Chan reminded himself and looked at his hands. He had to make the right call now, so he had to think this over carefully. What strengths of Stray Kids had shown themselves over the last few days and what weakness should he take into consideration?</p><p>He began with Minho since the cat hybrid with the hazelnut brown hair had surprised him the most with his quick reactions and great fighting skills. What he lacked in technique did he make up with an incredible flexibility and fast reactions. Of course, Minho wasn’t invincible, but on the spot Chan couldn’t remember ever having noticed any great weakness in his fighting style. Sure, Changbin managed to give him a hard time every time they fought against each other in training, but Chan had seen the uncrowned vampire king train once; he was way too used to quick movements. </p><p>Next one that came into his mind was Felix. The ginger had probably the same kind of skill set as Minho, but he was a bit too careful to not hurt anyone if he trained with others. Still, Chan was well aware of the fact that the ginger cat hybrid could kick and hit someone with a lot more might if he wanted that. The only thing that worried Chan about Felix was the fact that the ginger looked at his other team members a little too much and therefore got distracted easily. Though, it was something Chan could take care of with ease. </p><p>Last but not least were the Kim brothers. They had proven that they were excellent magic user in the last few days. Seungmin could take care of probably more than one portal if he wanted to and Byungho had been right when he had argued that having him in the very front of their fighting formation was the most efficient way to use his magical abilities. </p><p>The brunette had improved his shied spell by a lot in the last few days, but his combat spells weren’t bad either. Besides, Chan knew that the older had an ace up his sleeve that was a lot mightier than he could comprehend. </p><p>Jisung was assigned to BTS for the rescue mission, but Chan still tried to keep track of the young warlock’s improvements. According to the young warlock himself, he was giving it his best. He had learned the portal spell and perfected it to the best of his abilities together with Park Jimin. The training of his combat spells was going well too, even though Chan hoped the younger wouldn’t need them. The same thing he hoped for Seungmin. </p><p>Jeongin and Hyunjin were training basic combat skills and according to them and Yedam was doing good too. Even though Jeongin, Hyunjin and Yedam wouldn’t participate in the rescue mission, they just naturally came to Chan’s mind. </p><p>The wolf hybrid noticed that despite the little time they all had to train, they all had improved their skills greatly, leading to Chan finding no real weakness. There wasn’t anything, which would immediately make him worried enough to not even think about leading them into the rescue mission. </p><p>A soft nudge let Chan look over to Changbin, who was looking at the wolf hybrid. “Have you decided yet?”, the vampire asked. The wolf hybrid nodded. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he should make the right decision now. Changbin showed the other a little smile and then let his gaze focus back onto Taeyong. Chan followed the vampires gaze and noticed that Taeyong was looking into his direction, waiting for his answer. The wolf hybrid took a little breath before opening his mouth to talk. </p><p>“Stray Kids is ready”, Chan announced, looking at Taeyong. The guardian nodded, showing a light smile and then let his gaze wandered over to the person next to Chan. Hyunjun, who had his gaze fixated on his lap, where his right pointer finger anxiously tapped onto his thigh, making Chan feel sympathetic for the elf. </p><p>“Hyunjun?”, Taeyong called the young male’s name. Hyunjun flinched a little and then looked up to the guardian. Taeyong looked at him with empathy in his eyes. “Do you need more time to think this through?”, the red haired male asked him with an understanding tone. Hyunjun stopped for a moment and then timidly nodded. </p><p>“I would like to talk this over with Junhee-hyung”, the elf answered and looked over to the leader of ACE. The brunette dryad nodded in agreement and stood up from his place opposite of Hyunjun and walked to the room’s door, waiting for the young elf. </p><p>When the two were out of the room, Chan allowed himself to lean back in his chair, asking himself whenever or not he made the right choice. Maybe he was too inexperienced to correctly make a decision in this situation, but on the other hand he didn’t know why they shouldn’t be ready. If everything went according to plan, they wouldn’t need to face any hunters and Chan wanted to believe that this would be the case. </p><p>“I think you made the right decision”, the wolf hybrid heard Changbin say quietly beside him. Chan looked over to the vampire and was met with his friend’s black eyes. The calculating gaze he had when he was looking at Taeyong was gone and replaced by the sympathy and kindness that Changbin’s eyes usually held. It made Chan almost regret that he was too deep in thought to notice the vampire’s reply. </p><p>“Did you agree too?”, the wolf hybrid asked in a hushed voice. That question must sound stupid to the vampire to some degree, but Chan need to know for sure. Changbin only gave him a nod with an unreadable expression and said nothing. </p><p>With that out of the way, they waited quietly like the rest of the leaders. Over time Chan was pretty sure they all just waited for Hyunjun’s decision since nobody seemed to be deep in thought or something similar. </p><p>After what felt like an eternity, the door of the meeting room was opened and Junhee stepped into the room with Hyunjun following him. All eyes naturally wander to them and for a moment Chan felt sorry for the elf, but Hyunjun seemed a bit more confident now, which relief the wolf hybrid. </p><p>“IZ is ready too”, the elf declared with a steady voice. After he said that Taeyong, who at one point had taken a seat, raised his voice one more. </p><p>“Then it’s settled. We are going through with the rescue mission tomorrow”, he declared.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0077"><h2>77. Tomorrow’s event</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jeongin gets scared, Minho loves teasing Jisung, Changbin worries about Hyunjin while he should really worry about Seungmin and Byungho truly appreciates Chan.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Do it again, hyung. Do it again”, Mika, the little wolf hybrid boy Jeongin had on his back, cheered, wanting the kitsune to teleport them through the hall again. Jeongin lost count of the many times the little boy had asked him to do this simple trick, but he was all ways so enthusiastic about it that the kitsune couldn’t say no to him. </p><p>“Alright but it’s the last time for real. We need to practice different things too”, Jeongin replied, fixing his hold on the young boy a little bit. “Understood”, Mika cheered and put his little arms around Jeongin’s neck. The kitsune smiled a little bit at the gesture. It was just cute to the blond for no reason. </p><p>Without further warning, Jeongin teleported himself and the little boy across the hall to the point where he had seen Hyunjin train - or should he rather say play - with a bunch of kids. When Jeongin appeared out of nowhere beside the siren and the kids he had been playing with, they jumped back in fright before they realized it was just Jeongin. Still, Hyunjin didn’t miss to exaggerate his reaction and had made an almost ridiculous wide jump to the side. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. </p><p>“Really, hyung? Shouldn’t you be used to it?”, Jeongin asked his cousin with an raised eyebrow. “You can never get used to something like that”, the siren retorted and slowly recovered from his shock. The whole scene earned them some giggles from the children nearby. </p><p>Jeongin huffed and kneeled down, so Mika could get off his back more easily. The young wolf hybrid with the wild, curly brown hair slipped off the kitsune’s back and waddled over to his friends while giggling. It drew a light smile onto Jeongin’s face to see the children being so happy over such small things.</p><p>The kitsune wanted to turn to his cousin and suggest a serious training session with one of the older wolf hybrids and werewolves here like Yedam, but that was interrupted by someone calling for everyone’s attention. </p><p>“Could I have everyone’s attention, please? I have an announcement to make”, the familiar voice of Kun echoed through the hall. Jeongin turned his head around, seeing the werewolf with the brown hair, standing at the hall’s entrance. A worried mumble went through the hall, but it slowly became quiet. Kun waited for a short moment and took a breath before he raised his voice again. </p><p>“I will get straight to the point. The date for the rescue mission has been set for tomorrow”, the werewolf began. Jeongin felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs after hearing this. Why did they want to go through with the rescue mission tomorrow? What had happen that caused this sudden decision? </p><p>“Taeyong has assigned me the task of informing you about this, but also about the things you should do in the worst case scenario. If on the day after tomorrow no one, who participated in the rescue mission, returns, then the operation has failed. In that case everyone, who is still in the NCT headquarter, has to abandon this place as fast as possible for safety reasons”, Kun continued and Jeongin couldn’t do more than stare at the werewolf with the brown hair from afar, not knowing how else to react. </p><p>“Mrs. Keon Hana will be the one you can turn to should the situation get messy”, the werewolf went on, gesturing to the woman in the wheelchair. Next to her stood Ms. Hwang, who seemed as calm as always like she knew this was bound to happen. Maybe Jeongin’s aunt had been more aware of the current situation and the plans of the rescue mission than the young kitsune has thought. </p><p>“Mrs. Keon will get into contact with Seventeen, a guardian group and ally of NCT, if the rescue mission fails. The members of Seventeen will make sure you all get out of here safely and to a place where no human will ever find you”, Kun continued. </p><p>“The most important thing about this is that whatever happens on the rescue mission, do not try to come after any participating creature, no matter the danger they might be in. We want to rescue the people captured by the hunters and not endanger more than necessary. Currently we are rather confident that the rescue mission will succeed”, the werewolf ended his little speech. </p><p>“If you have questions regarding this, please turn to Mrs. Keon or me as long as I’m here and let’s hope it won’t come to this worst case scenario”, Kun dismissed the topic. Jeongin could only hear his heart drum against his rip cage while his thoughts were running wild. He couldn’t get the thoughts of his friends being trapped in the hunters’ headquarter out of his head. The worst thing about this scenarios was the fact that somehow the kitsune’s main focus was on Felix. </p><p>“I need to get to Felix”, was the thing that shot through Jeongin’s head and in the blink of an eye the kitsune had teleported himself in front of the hall he knew the ginger cat hybrid was training in. He pushed the door open, quickly scanning the room for the familiar mob of orange hair. It didn’t take Jeongin long to spot the ginger standing among the rest of their friends. </p><p>Felix seemed to have noticed something and turned around, meeting Jeongin’s gaze. The kitsune’s brain seemed to function on autopilot from there on. In a heartbeat Jeongin had run over to his group of friends, directly into Felix’s arms. The cat hybrid put his arms around the kitsune almost automatically, holding Jeongin close while the blond clung onto the cat hybrid like he would disappear the second he let go of him. </p><p>The kitsune buried his nose in Felix’s shoulder, shutting his eyes. He calmed down just by knowing that the older cat hybrid was right there with him, but he still thought about the many things that could go wrong on the rescue mission. There was no way he could protect Felix and even though the other told him that it was a good thing that he was staying back, he feared losing his friends and the ginger more than risking his own life. </p><p>“I think we should stop training for now and just individually prepare ourselves for tomorrow”, Jeongin heard Chan suggest, letting the kitsune open his eyes again. He saw the wolf hybrid with the silver hair standing among his other friends, looking collected and calm like a leader should be in such a situation. </p><p>“I’m searching for Hyunjin and then checking something”, Changbin said and immediately took off. “Hey. Wait for me”, Seungmin called after the vampire, following him quickly. Chan and Byungho looked after them for a short moment, but didn’t say anything. Jeongin guessed that both older males contemplated following them to see if they were alright, but then told themselves that both Changbin and Seungmin were mature enough to handle this on their own. </p><p>“I’m searching for Jisung. I will catch up with you later”, Minho stated, looking Felix’s way. Jeongin could feel Felix lightly nod and then the older cat hybrid took off. Jeongin mentally sighed, telling himself that he was stupid for having to react so harshly. He had worried his hyungs, even though they should be preparing for the rescue mission both mentally and physically. </p><p>“Should we go to my room and cuddle?”, Felix asked Jeongin in a quiet voice. At first, Jeongin wanted to shake his head and say no, but then the cat hybrid put his head on the kitsune’s shoulder and placed a small, innocent kiss on the blond’s neck. It send an involuntary shiver down the kitsune’s spine. With nothing but a whisper, the cat hybrid added a “Please” to his sentence, making Jeongin nod in agreement. Still, the blond was a bit unsure, letting his gaze wander to Byungho and Chan, like he was asking for their permission. </p><p>“Go ahead”, Byungho said with a little smile on his lips. “Chan and I will stay here a little longer”, the brunette added with a glance to his boyfriend. Chan showed Jeongin and Felix an encouraging smile. </p><p>“We will be here if you need us”, the wolf hybrid said. Jeongin nodded and in the blink of an eye the kitsune had teleported Felix and himself into middle of the cat hybrid’s room that he shared with his older brother, Changbin and Jisung. </p><p>Felix let a sigh escape him, letting a bit of breath brush against Jeongin’s neck, letting a shiver run down the kitsune’s spine again. The cat hybrid then just rubbed his head against the blond’s, letting his ginger hair tickle the other. Jeongin couldn’t help but laugh a little and loosen his grip a little bit.</p><p>The ginger stopped the motion, only to pull away a little, so the two were face to face. A wide, sun-like smile adored the cat hybrid’s lips. “I like the laughing Innie more than the gloomy one”, Felix commented while his eyes shone with nothing but pure honesty. Jeongin involuntarily mirrored the other’s bright smile a bit, allowing himself to relax. </p><p>“Now, cuddles”, Felix then said, taking a few steps backwards until his legs touched the lower bunk bed. The cat hybrid slowly let go of Jeongin ducking away under the upper bunk bed while gently pulling the kitsune along, almost leading the younger until they both had laid down comfortably. Both had their heads on the pillow, facing each other with minimum space between them, letting their noses almost touch. </p><p>Jeongin couldn’t understand how Felix wasn’t afraid of the rescue mission or showed any signs of anxiety. It was almost a miracle that his dark brown orbs still shone with warmth and positivity. Lee Felix really was the most precious creature on this planet and Jeongin felt like tomorrow he would fail to protect this sunshine of a person. </p><p>“Innie”, Felix called the kitsune’s nickname gently. Jeongin just made an ‘mhm’ sound, letting the other know he was listening. “I’m glad you are my mate”, the cat hybrid admitted, voice filled with warmth while his eyes had this special glimmer. Jeongin had the feeling his heart just did a flip and now decided to try to get out of his rib cage by thumping against it with high speed.</p><p>“I’m glad too”, the kitsune mumbled, letting his eyes drop from Felix’s face. He felt really shy if he was honest with himself, but not necessarily embarrassed. Sometimes he wished he could have Felix’s kind of confidence. Unlike Minho, who seemed confident by just glancing at him, Felix had a more subtle kind of confidence, that rarely got noticed right away. It showed itself in the way he sometimes goofed around with others or when he said heartfelt things without even a hint of nervousness. </p><p>“You know, I think my mum would love you”, the cat hybrid went on. Jeongin’s eyes immediately snapped back up to Felix’s freckled face, staring right into the dark brown eyes, that looked straight at him unwavering. It took Jeongin a moment to understand those few words to its fullest, but when he did he understood why Felix wasn’t afraid of the rescue mission. For him it was an opportunity to get his parents back, to reunite his family. </p><p>Felix slowly moved his head forward a bit, letting his nose touch Jeongin’s and closed his eyes for a short moment. “Don’t worry, Innie. I will always come back to my sweet mate”, the cat hybrid mumbled. When Felix reopened his eyes and looked at Jeongin with a loving gaze, it made the kitsune almost feel shy again, but he quickly thought of a witty reply to prevent a blush from creeping up his cheeks.</p><p>“Can I be your boyfriend too?”, the blond asked, rather bluntly in order to not shy away from Felix’s gaze again. The cat hybrid’s eyes started to almost sparkle and a smile stretched itself across the ginger’s whole face. He started to nod like an excited little kid. </p><p>Jeongin couldn’t help but let the other’s excitement infect him a little. He moved his head a little, so his forehead was touching Felix’s without breaking eye contact. The kitsune’s heart was racing and a certain heat began to cover his ears, but he refused to shy away. </p><p>“Now you are officially obligated to alway come back to me, Lee Felix”, the kitsune mumbled, not trusting his voice enough to talk normally. If it was possible, Felix smile became even brighter. </p><p>“I won’t disappoint you, Yang Jeongin”, the cat hybrid replied and then quickly pecked Jeongin’s lips, making the kitsune lose his facade again and finally blush. </p><p>——————————</p><p>Minho speed walked to the hall Jisung usually trained in, passing a few people, but he didn’t pay them much attention. He wanted to get to the blue-haired warlock as quickly as possible. Seeing Jeongin being so upset about the news of the rescue mission being tomorrow made the brunette worry for his mate and boyfriend. </p><p>When Minho reached the hall, the door stood wide open. Inside a few people talked to each other in groups. Nobody was really training anymore. Minho quickly scanned the hall for the familiar mob of blue hair and was able to spot Jisung in a few seconds. The blue-haired warlock stood among the members of BTS, who seemed to just talk some things over.</p><p>Even though they all seemed to have their attention on Kim Namjoon, BTS’s leader and Miroh High’s biology and society teacher, Minho could feel a pair of eyes piercing through him. It didn’t take the cat hybrid long to meet the piercing gaze of Taehyung. </p><p>The tiger hybrid looked straight at Minho with his light colored orbs. His eyes displayed no emotion and just watched the cat hybrid with the hazelnut brown hair. Minho, being a bit stubborn, didn’t want to back down from this unspoken challenge and just stared back at the older hybrid while the tip of his cat tail twitched irritatedly. A part of the cat hybrid wanted to lowly hiss but he kept himself from doing so, knowing it wouldn’t do much. Besides, he shouldn’t pick fights with someone that was on the same side as him. </p><p>A movement in the corner of his eye let Minho finally look away from Taehyung and focus on Jisung, who was talking to Kim Namjoon. Just seeing this made Minho automatically listen in on the conversation. </p><p>“Can I go or do you still need me, hyung?”, Jisung asked the older male. For a moment, Minho was taken back by the fact that Jisung called a teacher ‘hyung’ but it was probably a lot more common than he thought, considering that they had quite a few teachers from Miroh High here as members of a group. </p><p>“No, you can go, but be on time tomorrow”, Namjoon answered the young warlock. Jisung nodded, quickly bid his goodbye to the rest of BTS and then turned around, running straight towards Minho. </p><p>“Let’s go”, Jisung said, casually taking Minho’s hand and dragging the older out of the hall, away from Taehyung. The cat hybrid quietly smiled to himself and somehow felt the need to tease his boyfriend a little bit. </p><p>“Well, well look at you being familiar with a teacher and calling him hyung”, Minho teased the warlock, as the younger dragged him away from the trainings hall and towards the staircase of the NCT headquarter. </p><p>“Namjoon-hyung isn’t the only teacher I’m allowed to call ‘hyung’ just for your information”, Jisung huffed, walking up the magical stairs. Minho wasn’t really surprised to hear that if he was honest. After all, he knew that Jisung was easy to like and beside that he called his spell and potions teachers, Lee Minhyuk, sometimes hyung too. Still, the cat hybrid couldn’t help but tease the other about this. </p><p>“Look at you slowly becoming a teacher’s pet. And here I was thinking you were one of the infamous trouble makers of Miroh High”, Minho continued to tease the blue-haired warlock. That made Jisung let go of Minho’s hand and turn around abruptly with an obviously fake scowl on his face. </p><p>“Now listen up, Lee Minho. Seungmin couldn’t have pulled any pranks back at Miroh High if it wasn’t for me. He may be better with magic than I am, but he is sure as hell not as good as me when it comes to potions. Who do you think made the pink substance that covered the vampires on your first school day?”, the warlock shot back, crossing his arms over his chest, pretending to be mad. </p><p>Minho just started to laugh, thinking back to his first day at Miroh High and the stupid faces the vampires made when they were covered under a blanket of sticky, pink slime. The best thing about this was the fact that Changbin had been among them. Did the vampire even know that Jisung and Seungmin had been the ones that pulled that prank on him and the other vampires? </p><p>“Does Changbin know this?”, Minho asked breathlessly while still laughing. Jisung opened his mouth to answer the older, but then slowly close it again. He frowned a little bit, thinking about the incident until his face lit up with a realization. </p><p>“By all gods! He doesn’t! I don think I ever told him about that”, Jisung exclaimed rather loudly, making Minho only laugh even more. The cat hybrid thought he would die of laughter at this point and tried to slowly calm down while Jisung had a look on his face, which indicated that he was questioning his whole life. </p><p>After a good two minutes, Minho had finally calmed down from his laughing fit and was pretty sure he had done his work out for today just by laughing. Jisung was still having an internally crisis. </p><p>“Hyung, what should I do? Changbin-hyung has no clue that I mixed that sticky substance”, Jisung worried and Minho had a hard time to not laugh again. Luckily the mild pain in his stomach helped him hold back his laughter. </p><p>“He doesn’t need to know”, Minho answered, trying to sound serious, but failing miserably. Jisung looked at him with a judging expression on his face, but then he let a little sigh escape his lips. “Let’s hope he never finds out or I will never hear the end of it from him”, the warlock then mumbled. </p><p>Minho pat the warlock’s shoulder, still having a hard time taking this seriously. It wasn’t a serious situation either way, but if the cat hybrid would start to laugh again he was pretty sure every little muscle in his stomach would be sore tomorrow. </p><p>“Are you two okay?”, a voice from down the stairs called, startling both young males. Apparently someone had heard them. Well, they hadn’t really been quiet if they were honest with themselves. </p><p>“Oh yeah. We are fine”, Jisung quickly replied while his cheeks slowly became red. “Let’s get going”, the warlock whispered, taking Minho’s hand again and dragging him along again. The two left the staircase the next opportunity they got and ended up on the fourth floor. </p><p>Jisung just continued to drag Minho to the gods knew where. The cat hybrid had honestly no clue where the warlock was even planing on heading, but he didn’t really ask the warlock either. He was content with holding the warlock’s hand and just overall having his mate around him. </p><p>After a good ten minutes of just walking around the NCT headquarter aimlessly, Minho finally cared enough to ask where they were going. After all, he didn’t want to spend the whole day being dragged around. </p><p>“Do you know where you are going?”, he asked the warlock. Jisung slowed down a little bit. “I have no clue”, he admitted, coming to a sudden halt. The warlock turned around to Minho, looking at him like he wanted the older to make a suggestion. </p><p>Minho didn’t really know what they should do either. The only thing he could think of was going to their room to just spend time together there. “We could go to our room”, the cat hybrid suggested. Jisung chuckled in light amusement as a response. </p><p>“So we can cuddle?”, the warlock asked innocently. Minho just raised an eyebrow and lightly tilted his head. Sure, Minho liked having Jisung in his arms because it made him feel clam and sometimes even cleared his mind, but why was that the first thing Jisung thought of after hearing the older’s suggestion.  </p><p>“We can do more than that too”, Minho purred teasingly, wanting to get a bit more of a reaction out of the warlock. It took Jisung a moment, but then his whole face turned red, making the older of the two lightly smirk. Now he got the result he wanted. </p><p>“Your face is a little red, Hannie”, the cat hybrid continued to tease. A little smirk formed itself on the cat hybrid’s lips when Jisung’s hands automatically went up to his reddened cheeks. The warlock lightly glared at Minho and lightly punched his shoulder. </p><p>“Stop teasing me”, the flustered boy mumbled. Minho only chuckled, thinking that this time it really was Jisung’s own fault. He reacted so innocently to the older’s suggestion it made the cat hybrid want to tease him more than anything. </p><p>“You make it too easy for me. I can’t help it”, Minho replied cheekily and dodged another hit on the shoulder from Jisung. The warlock punched the air, but caught himself before falling to the ground. If he hadn’t Minho would have caught him in a heartbeat and probably without even thinking. </p><p>“You are unbelievable, Lee Minho”, the warlock exclaimed, puffing his cheeks a little bit. Minho just chuckled, smirking a little wider. Jisung looked like a squirrel when he puffed his cheeks or simply ate. Said squirrel-like boy was currently looking away from Minho, trying to hide the obvious blush by busing himself with fixing his dark blue hair. </p><p>Minho’s smirk slowly morphed into a sweet smile. Even though Minho and Jisung hadn’t been together for that long, Minho wanted to always have the other by his side no matter what. Maybe it was a mate thing to feel that way, but at this point a life without Jisung in it was unimaginable to the cat hybrid. </p><p>The brunette snatched up Jisung’s hand again and began walking again, pulling the warlock along. The cat hybrid was heading to the staircase, wanting to get to the fifth floor and therefore the room he shared with Jisung, Felix and Changbin, so he could push his cute mate onto their bed and cuddle him until tomorrow morning.  </p><p>“Where are we going?”, the blue-haired male asked confused. “Our room”, Minho singsonged. He heard Jisung inhale sharply, making him curious enough to glance over his shoulder to see a very flustered warlock. </p><p>“Just to cuddle”, Jisung mumbled almost shyly. Minho smirked a little bit, liking the fact that he got his innocent boyfriend to also consider different options. It was way too easy to tease the other that way. </p><p>“Of course to cuddle. What did you think? Something not so innocent?”, the cat hybrid teased the younger. Jisung snorted and hit the older with his free hand, making Minho chuckle. The cat hybrid would never get tired of messing with the warlock. Truly, never. </p><p>Still, in the back of Minho’s mind was the scary thought of what tomorrow could bring to him, to his family, to Jisung. Despite not having spoken a word about it, Minho reminded himself of the promise he made long ago. He would protect Jisung no matter what. </p><p>—————————</p><p>If it wasn’t for Seungmin, Changbin would have run to the hall where the creatures, who didn’t participate the rescue mission, occupied with his supernatural speed. The vampire was concerned about the siren ever since he saw Jeongin being obviously upset. Usually the kitsune wasn’t the person to get emotional easily, but the way he had clung onto Felix would have made really anyone worried about the well-being of their loved ones. </p><p>Still, the thing the vampire had wanted to do the minute he had walked out of the meeting room with Chan was checking a few things with the book of vampires. Ever since the training with Changkyun, Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun started, Changbin barely had time to consider getting more information through the old artifact. It should be able to provide a lot more information on hunters and Zendala due it being unlocked now. He was stupid for not having to realize that sooner, but at the moment that was the least of the vampire’s concerns. His priority right now was making sure Hyunjin was okay. </p><p>“Hyung, calm down. Hyunjin isn’t in any danger, so don’t stress yourself so much”, Seungmin spoke up, pulling the vampire a bit out of his thoughts. The redhead walked a little behind Changbin, since the vampire was hurrying so much. Changbin lightly bit the inside of his cheek and forced himself to slow down a bit, so Seungmin could walk beside him. The vampire tried to tell himself that everything was fine too, but there was this part of him that just wouldn’t stop worrying about a certain siren. </p><p>“I’m just worried about him”, Changbin admitted, glancing at the redhead beside him. There was a shimmer of sympathy in the demon’s eyes, but also something else Changbin couldn’t really describe. </p><p>“I know you are”, Seungmin said in a much quieter voice while a small smile stretched itself onto his lips. The smile didn’t reach the redhead’s dark eyes. It cause Changbin’s chest to feel tight and he wanted to ask the other what was wrong, but then in the corner of his eye, the vampire he saw a certain siren, walking out of the trainings hall. </p><p>Immediately Changbin’s attention was on Hyunjin, who was hugging himself while staring at the ground before him. Soft sniffles escaped him, letting Changbin freeze. What the hell where Hyunjin and Jeongin told to let their fear come out this drastically?</p><p>“That’s it”, Seungmin said lowly beside Changbin. Still, the young demon’s voice had been loud enough to attract Hyunjin’s attention. The siren looked up, spotting both Seungmin and Changbin. The tall male’s eyes were glossy with unshed tears and it broke Changbin’s heart to see Hyunjin like that. </p><p>“What were you told in there?”, Seungmin asked. His voice was clear, but with a hint of hidden coldness. Hyunjin focused his gaze on the redhead for a brief moment before he looked away.</p><p>“Kun told us what we should do if the rescue mission fails”, the siren sniffled, sounding scared. After hearing Hyunjin say that even Seungmin seemed to freeze. Changbin knew after countless meetings with NCT’s higher ups and leaders of other groups that it was a main priority to keep the ones, that wouldn’t take part in the rescue mission, safe. He knew that this required letting them know what to do in case the rescue mission failed. Of course, this didn’t make the thought of the worst case scenario becoming a reality any less scary to anyone. As someone who would be a king and leader to a whole kind, Changbin knew better than most that any plan could fail no matter how good it sounded theoretically. There could alway occur an inconvenience, that messed up the whole operation. </p><p>“Don’t tell me you both think that will be the case”, Hyunjin began to quietly cry. Changbin was ripped out of his frozen state in an instant. He walked over to the siren in quick steps and pulled the taller male into a hug. Hyunjin put his arms around Changbin’s shoulders without hesitation, burying his face in between his elbow and the vampire’s neck.  </p><p>Changbin had no clue what to say to make the siren feel less scared. He didn’t want to lie into Hyunjin’s face and promise him that nothing would happen to him or their friends while they were on the rescue mission. There was always a chance of the whole thing going terribly wrong, even though Changbin really hoped that everything would go according to plan. </p><p>While the vampire was still trying to find the right words to say to the quietly crying siren in his arms, he saw a bit of red in the corner of his eye. Seungmin had walked up to them, standing beside the vampire. </p><p>“Don’t worry, Hyunjin. We will be fine. That may sound like a cheap lie, but I promise you I will make sure everyone of our friends comes back safe and sound”, the redhead promised, laying his hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. The siren raised his head, looking at Seungmin while sniffling a little bit. </p><p>Changbin focused on Seungmin too. The redhead seemed calm and confident in his words. His dark eyes looked at Hyunjin with sympathy, but also determination. Still, there seemed to be something else in the dark orbs too. It was more than determination and somehow Changbin got the feeling that Seungmin was set on fulfilling his promise no matter the cost. It scared him to a certain degree. </p><p>Seungmin slowly let his gaze wander from Hyunjin to Changbin and for a brief moment glanced behind the two hugging males. The dark orbs seemed to be unable to focus for a short second. </p><p>“Let’s go somewhere else for the time being”, the redhead suggested, focusing back on Changbin and Hyunjin. Seungmin took a step back from the two like he wanted to have a certain space between them. It was a suspicious behavior if Changbin was honest with himself. </p><p>Despite Seungmin’s suggestion of going somewhere else, Hyunjin didn’t move from his position in Changbin’s arms. The siren seemed to observe Seungmin most attentively just like Changbin. Maybe the tall male got the feeling of something being not right too.  </p><p>“Come on”, Seungmin coaxed, reaching his hand out. Hyunjin let go of Changbin, but grabbed the vampire’s hand the second he took Seungmin’s hand. Changbin looked down at the hand Hyunjin was now holding and then looked over to Seungmin. The vampire could feel a strange mix of emotions swirl around in his stomach and his head seemingly didn’t know what to do either. The thought of Seungmin behaving strangely was almost gone too. </p><p>Seungmin was the one that started to move, getting all of them to finally get going. Hyunjin walked beside the redhead while dragging Changbin along for a bit until the vampire finally got his feet to do what he wanted. </p><p>It was when the vampire finally moved that he noticed that the hall they had stood in was quite busy. A lot of people seemingly searched for their loved ones or group members. Changbin shook his head finally clearing his mind a bit. He reminded himself of everyone being fine and safe right now. Hyunjin and Seungmin were with him, the rest of Stray Kids was scattered across the headquarter, but the vampire was sure that no one of them was alone. Minho surely had found Jisung in record time, Felix and Jeongin were somewhere together for sure if they hadn’t decided to stay with Chan and Byungho. </p><p>When the three young males finally reached the stair case, Seungmin let go of Hyunjin’s hand, walking up the stairs in front of the siren and Changbin. It was obvious why. The stair case wasn’t wide enough for the three of them to walk beside each other.</p><p>For some reason Changbin felt his whole attention focus on Seungmin’s back. He asked himself how much the redhead was really hiding, with how many things he was burdening himself because he had the feeling he needed to protect someone. How much did Seungmin really carry on his shoulders without letting others know? </p><p>Changbin was ripped out of these thoughts when Hyunjin gently pulled him up the last few stairs to the third floor. Seungmin was already out of sight, probably having left the stair case already. The vampire looked at the black-haired siren, who glanced at him for a short moment with his beautiful dark brown eyes. Despite having this scared shimmer in his eyes, he still smiled at Changbin for a brief moment, letting the vampire’s heart ache like someone pulled at it. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Hyunjin”, Changbin mumbled more to himself than the siren, looking at the ground before his feet. He didn’t know why he was apologizing. He wanted to take part in the rescue mission, he wanted to save the people held captive by the hunters, he wanted to have a little bit of revenge for his parents and he wanted to proof himself as a capable king to his own kind. </p><p>Hyunjin suddenly stood still, letting Changbin almost bump into the taller male. The vampire felt that the siren was slowly letting go of his hand, but before the vampire could say anything to comfort the other, Hyunjin had turned around, cupped his cheeks and just kissed him while tears were running down his cheeks. </p><p>May it be the salty tears that were streaming down Hyunjin’s face or the lightly tremble in his hands that had cupped Changbin’s face, but the vampire could feel the fear the siren had pent up ever since getting the news of the rescue mission. Hyunjin was afraid of losing the only friends he ever had and the ones he loved. </p><p>Changbin would have kissed the siren back if it hadn’t been for the flash of red that suddenly came into his vision, reminding him of the third person here. The vampire pulled away from Hyunjin’s kiss, but immediately putting a hand over the siren’s, that was cupping his cheek as a way to reassure the other that he wasn’t leaving. </p><p>Seungmin stood in the hall a few feet away from them. His expression showed nothing special neither did his body language. “Well, I didn’t expect that even though it was quite obvious you like each other”, the redhead said in a neutral tone, folding his hands behind his back while he smiled lightly. Even though his lips curved upwards, his dark eyes didn’t shine the way they usually did when he smiled. Something was seriously wrong. </p><p>Hyunjin let his hands drop from Changbin’s cheeks, letting the vampire’s attention snap back to the siren. The black-haired male was looking at Seungmin with widened eyes.</p><p>“Don’t look so shocked. It was easy to tell”, the redhead said, still having this fake smile on his lips. “Should we continue now? I wanted to check something with the book of vampires”, he casually continued, gesturing down the hall where in a little meeting room, hidden by a spell created by Taeyong, laid the book of vampires. </p><p>Seungmin turned around, walking towards the room and not waiting for Changbin or Hyunjin. A quick look at the tall male beside him told Changbin enough to know that he had to do something. Without thinking, Changbin dashed forward in his supernatural speed, standing in front of Seungmin in a heartbeat. </p><p>“Seungmin what’s wrong?”, the vampire asked. Seungmin looked Changbin in the eyes. The redhead’s dark orbs showed no special emotion. They seemed almost void, letting Changbin fear he had done something he would regret for the rest of his life. </p><p>“Nothing is wrong, hyung. It was just a bit surprised, but congratulations”, Seungmin answered simply with no special emotion being evident in his facial features. At this point it was obvious to Changbin that the redhead was lying, which was rare. Usually, you could never tell if Seungmin was hiding something or not. </p><p>“It’s not nothing”, the vampire almost whispered. Something flashed in Seungmin’s eyes, but Changbin couldn’t tell what it was or even properly register it. </p><p>“Please don’t argue”, Hyunjin suddenly spoke up, standing between them. The vampire looked at the worried eyes of his boyfriend, but then his gaze focused back on Seungmin. The redhead was looking at the floor now and then just turned his back to him. </p><p>“Everything is fine, hyung. Let’s just go and not focus on this any longer. We have to prepare ourselves, remember?”, the redhead said in an almost cold voice. Changbin wanted to reply to this, tell the redhead that he saw that something was wrong with him, that he wasn’t fine but then he noticed how Seungmin took a heavy step forward and slightly swayed to the side like he was losing his balance. </p><p>Hyunjin immediately took a step forward, holding onto Seungmin’s shoulders to steady him. Changbin followed the siren, joining Seungmin’s side. The first thing the vampire saw immediately was Seungmin’s unfocused gaze. </p><p>“Seungmin?”, Changbin called the redhead’s name worriedly. Seungmin lightly shook his head and tried to pull himself out of Hyunjin’s grip, but it was a very weak attempt. “I’m fine”, he muttered before stumbling. Luckily Hyunjin was still holding onto his shoulders and caught the redhead. </p><p>“Seungmin, what’s wrong? Please tell us”, Hyunjin panicked a little bit. Seungmin didn’t react and just blinked like he was trying to get his vision to focus but without success. At this point, Changbin wasn’t sure if the redhead could even hear them. </p><p>Changbin was close to freaking out, but then he reminded himself of taking a deep breath. He quickly scanned the hall and each of the doors. The third floor had no rooms with beds, which could be useful right now, as far as Changbin knew, but the vampire did know that the room, where the book of vampires was kept, had a sofa. </p><p>Without thinking any further, Changbin slipped one of Seungmin’s arms over his shoulders, making Hyunjin let go of the redhead. With quick movements, the vampire let both of the redhead’s arms hang over his shoulders while having Seungmin’s chest lean against his back and then carefully reached back, getting hold of the back of other’s thighs. Another quick move and Changbin had Seungmin on his back. </p><p>“Make sure he doesn’t fall down”, Changbin said to Hyunjin. The siren, who looked at Changbin with fear in his eyes, just nodded. Something in the vampire’s chest hurt seeing Hyunjin like that, but he needed to keep a clear head right now. </p><p>Hyunjin opened the door to the familiar, little meeting room and Changbin carried Seungmin straight to the little sofa, which was pushed to the wall. With the help of Hyunjin, Changbin laid Seungmin down onto the sofa. The redhead was conscious enough to not let them lay him down, so he just sat there with his back pressed against the backrest of the sofa and his eyes staring at the ceiling. It was almost a miracle that he had allowed Changbin to carry him here on his back in the first place. </p><p>Hyunjin was standing next to Changbin in front of the sofa. The siren was nervously biting his nails while looking at Seungmin. “I’m getting Byungho-hyung”, he suddenly spoke up and without waiting for a reply from anyone he went straight to the room’s door. </p><p>“Don’t get Byungho-hyung”, Seungmin said rather loudly, swinging his head forward. His unfocused eyes looked straight ahead at Changbin and not Hyunjin. Still, the siren stood frozen to the redhead’s left. </p><p>“Damn you, compass”, he redhead then muttered to himself, making it hard for even Changbin to hear him. The vampire had no clue why Seungmin was cursing at a compass, but he got the feeling that it was somehow important. Seungmin brought his hands up to hold his head. His eyes were now staring at the ground in front of his feet.  </p><p>Changbin looked at Hyunjin who basically had the door handle in his hand. The vampire saw the siren’s internal fight in his eyes, but in the end Hyunjin let his hand drop to his side. He stepped away from the door with a defeated sigh. Without hesitation, he walked over to Seungmin sitting down next to him. The redhead instantly shot up, stumbling forward almost falling into Changbin. </p><p>“Get a hold of yourself”, Seungmin told himself, unsteadily standing on his feet. Changbin watched him while feeling something sting his heart. He hated watching Seungmin obviously struggling with something but refusing to ask for someone’s help. Changbin knew the redhead always tried to protect others and deal with everything on his own, but this was crossing the line. </p><p>“Please tell us what’s wrong with you. We want to help you”, Changbin said quietly, wanting to just lay his hand onto the other’s shoulder but deciding against it. After all, the redhead made the impression of not wanting to be touched right now. </p><p>Seungmin looked up and this time he met Changbin’s gaze. His dark eyes were extremely unfocused, but somehow intense enough that the vampire still got the feeling the redhead was directly looking at him. This was one of the few moments, Changbin had to realize that he was in fact smaller than Seungmin. Not so much that the redhead was towering over him but enough to let Changbin feel a bit cautious.  </p><p>“Screw this”, the redhead mumbled to himself, grabbing Changbin’s collar roughly. The vampire held himself back from reacting to this because the last thing he wanted to do was use one of the techniques he had learned from Changkyun on Seungmin. </p><p>“No, don’t”, Seungmin then mumbled to himself, grimacing. He let go of Changbin’s collar and held his head, stumbling backwards a little. The redhead was lowly cursing and shaking his head a little like he wanted to get something out of his head. If that alone didn’t alarm Changbin, the little red lighting that seemed to dance over Seungmin’s skin for a short minute surely did. For a spilt second, the vampire could even see the redhead’s horns on his head. He needed to somehow calm the other down right now or something bad would happen. </p><p>Before Changbin could come up with anything he heard a beautiful voice start singing. His head snapped towards Hyunjin. The siren had stood up from the sofa and started singing in a soothing tone. He walked up to Changbin and Seungmin, positioning himself beside the vampire. Slowly and with very subtle signals and gestures did Hyunjin managed to get Changbin to step to the side, so the siren was standing in front of Seungmin. He never stopped singing while doing this. </p><p>The song had no words. It sounded more like a melody created purely with a voice. It was probably something only sirens could do, but Changbin noticed that it was different from the songs Hyunjin used to fight with, even though there wasn’t much of a difference. </p><p>Seungmin reacted to the way Hyunjin sang and seemed to calm down somehow. He let his hands drop from his head and took a deep breath while closing his eyes. It was like he was purposely focusing on Hyunjin’s singing to get himself under control. </p><p>Hyunjin took a step forward and slowly guided Seungmin back to the sofa in a way Changbin would describe as a dance. The siren’s movements were smooth and well placed while also having something intoxicating that caught everyone’s attention. </p><p>In the end, Hyunjin got Seungmin to sit down on the sofa. The siren sat down next to the redhead while continuing to sing his song. At some point Seungmin completely relaxed and slumped completely against the backrest of the sofa. </p><p>Changbin was still standing in his spot having the feeling of being absolutely useless. He wasn’t able to help Seungmin, at all. Hyunjin was the one who had made the redhead calm down with his singing and therefore managed the situation better than he did. </p><p>Suddenly, the vampire saw the little red lighting reappear on Seungmin’s hand. With one quick move, the vampire stood next to Hyunjin and grabbed the siren’s hand. Hyunjin looked up at him in confusion, stopping his singing for a brief moment, but Changbin focused on the little red lighting on Seungmin’s hand. It trailed up the redhead’s arm in frantic little moves and became longer and longer until it reached Seungmin’s head and trailed up something invisible. </p><p>In the next moment the little red lighting bursted into magical dust and Seungmin’s horns appeared along with his devil’s tail. This alone didn’t surprise Changbin so much, but then he looked back at the redhead’s hands, noticing how the fingers had taken on a black color and transformed themselves into claws. Even though Changbin knew Seungmin was a demon ever since being introduced to him officially through Day6, he had no idea that the redhead had pitch black claws. </p><p>Changbin blinked, getting himself out of staring at the now sleeping Seungmin. Noticing that the room had fallen completely silent the vampire looked to Hyunjin, whose hand he was still holding. The siren looked at Seungmin too and for a moment Changbin feared he would be scared, but there was no sign for that. Hyunjin looked at Seungmin the same way he had always looked at the redhead. </p><p>The siren pulled his hand out of Changbin’s grip and repositioned himself on the sofa. With gentle and careful motions, Hyunjin got hold of Seungmin’s shoulders. It didn’t take the siren much effort to lay the sleeping male down and gently place Seungmin’s head on his lap. Hyunjin was extra careful because of the redhead’s horns. In the end, Seungmin was comfortably resting on his side, having his head on Hyunjin’s lap. </p><p>Gently did the siren brush a few strains of red hair out of Seungmin’s face before he looked up, meeting Changbin’s gaze. Something in the vampire stirred when the siren looked at him with his dark brown eyes, who radiated a special kind of gentleness, but also a certain fear for the next day. </p><p>No words were spoken when Changbin sat down next to Hyunjin taking the siren’s free hand while the other continued to gently play with Seungmin’s red hair. Changbin looked down at the redhead, quietly hating himself for being unable to help him. </p><p>The vampire could feel how Hyunjin intertwined their fingers, making him look at the taller male. He wanted to apologize to the siren for having to leave him alone tomorrow. There was no way of imagining how sacred the siren will be while hoping that all his friends came back alive from the rescue mission. </p><p>Hyunjin let his head drop forward a little, so his forehead was resting against Changbin’s. He closed his eyes and just remained in that position while the vampire couldn’t help but continue looking at his beautiful boyfriend who really was just a blessing to him at that moment. His attention shifted down to Seungmin, whose even breathing proofed that Hyunjin really had managed to get him to sleep. </p><p>If Changbin was honest with himself, he was afraid of tomorrow too. Still, he wanted to do it, he wanted to do something to help, but he more than anything wanted the people he felt responsible for, the people he treasured to be safe and he would do anything to achieve that. </p><p>——————————</p><p>After they were the only ones of their group in the trainings hall, Chan and Byungho continued to train for as long as they felt was necessary. They had the hall to themselves for the most part, which made it possible to train rather difficult stuff too. Byungho was able to perform spells that took up a lot more room and Chan could jump and run around a lot more freely. </p><p>After a good two hours, Byungho suggested a break to get themselves some fresh water, which Chan agreed to as far as he could make that clear as a wolf. To Byungho it was a bit funny seeing his boyfriend trotting towards him as a panting grey wolf, but shortly before the wolf hybrid reached him did he turn back into his human form where he was wearing a simple grey T-shirt and sweatpants. </p><p>“Water break is much needed”, Chan stated, running his hand through his sweaty silver hair. It was unfair how even now Chan managed to look as fine as always. Normal people would look sweaty and a bit gross after training for so long, but Chan was one of the few exceptions. </p><p>“That’s the reason I suggested it”, Byungho answered, stretching his fingers one by one. They were cramping a little bit after making multiple gestures for different types of spells. Even though they were training, Eve’s golden wedding ring still adored Byungho’s right pinky. It was almost a wonder that Chan hasn’t commented the piece of jewelry yet. Byungho guessed that the wolf hybrid was being considerate and waited for the brunette to explain it himself. After all, Chan was observant enough to notice that Byungho was wearing this ring ever since his mother died. </p><p>Without talking any further, the two young men walked out of the trainings hall and headed to the makeshift cafeteria where they could fill up their already emptied water bottles. They passed some people on their way, but no one they really knew.</p><p>“Do you know when you will be heading home with your brothers? After all, your family should hear the news of the rescue mission too”, Chan spoke up when no other creature was in sight. Byungho was pretty sure his father already knew everything about the rescue mission, so there was really no need to tell him. He was the devil, after all. </p><p>“If I’m honest I think they already know”, Byungho answered honesty. Of course Chan was looking at him a little surprised. “Even Samuel?”, the wolf hybrid asked. That question a bit of a slap in the face if Byungho was honest. Samuel was his youngest brother and no one really filled him in on the whole rescue mission thing. Sure, he knew a lot since all of brothers were participating in it, but no one sat him down and explained to him how dangerous the rescue mission could become if it didn’t go according to plan. </p><p>“He knows enough to not be surprised”, Byungho answered with a bit of a sigh. Chan nodded a bit, focusing on the way before them. “Do you think he will be okay with it?”, the wolf hybrid then questioned a bit absentmindedly. Byungho lightly shook his head. He didn’t know if the young siren would be okay because he had no clue how much Samuel really knew. He could have asked their father and got his answers that way. </p><p>“I don’t know, but I can imagine him being worried without wanting to show it”, Byungho said. Chan nodded in understanding. “I kind of wished Yedam would be just worried and sit still but no. He would go on the mission himself if our mother didn’t forbid it”, the wolf hybrid explained, pausing for a short moment. “I’m glad he isn’t allowed to come along”, he added in a quieter voice. </p><p>Byungho looked over to the wolf hybrid, noticing the light tremble in his hand and the way his gaze was more focused on the ground. It reminded the brunette of the fact that Chan had already encountered a lot of hunters at the battle of the moon pack. He had watched people he probably knew being murdered and barely came out of the situation alive himself, but he still became Stray Kids reliable, comforting leader. </p><p>Without thinking, Byungho slipped his fingers between Chan’s, gently holding the other’s hand. He gave the wolf hybrid’s hand a light squeeze, trying to give the other a certain amount of comfort. Chan was always there for him and their shared friends. He was an amazing leader despite his young age and incredibly brave for participating in the rescue mission even after seeing the pain and damage the hunters could cause first hand. </p><p>Chan turned his head towards Byungho, meeting his gaze. The wolf hybrid’s dark eyes still held a comforting warmth despite the bit of fear Chan seemed to try hiding to the best of his abilities. It made something tug at Byungho’s heart. He would protect Chan from any harm. He could swear on that. </p><p>“We will watch each other’s backs and take care of another. Promise”, Byungho promised and he meant it. He would a shield for Chan and all of their friends and if that meant using his hidden wings he wouldn’t care in the moment they became necessary. It would be just like when he saved Chan at the moon pack.</p><p>Chan gave him a light smile, which still made his dimples visible. “I know. We will do this together, after all”, the wolf hybrid said and gave Byungho’s hand a light squeeze too. This made a small smile appear on the brunette’s lips almost automatically. If Chan was optimistic about this, he could be too. </p><p>“Let’s get out water now”, Chan reminded the brunette, getting a bit quicker and dragging the older male with him. The two arrived in the little cafeteria and only let go of each other’s hand when they got their water. After that, they walked back to the trainings hall, holding hands again. </p><p>“Should we go over our combination attack again or try the defense we came up with?”, Chan asked when they arrived at the hall. He put his water bottle down next to the wall while looking at Byungho. The brunette thought for a short moment. The combination attack they had come up with over the last two hours was rather simple. Byungho just needed to create an ice wall Chan could climb up, so he could do a jump attack. It was kind of a defensive move too since the ice wall could be used as a shield. </p><p>The other move they came up with was purely for defense. Chan would cover Byungho, so the brunette could create a magical shield that would redirect everything that hit it. Until now, Byungho needed around two minutes to create it, which was why he needed Chan to cover him.</p><p>“Let’s do the defense again. I want to time it. Maybe I got a bit faster”, Byungho said. Chan nodded and jumped forward, shifting into his wolf form. Byungho had to admit that Chan’s wolf was very pretty. He wasn’t the biggest normal sized wolf the brunette had ever seen, but his grey fur with the silver accents definitely made him one of the most handsome ones. </p><p>The wolf, Byungho was admiring, turned around, looking at him with an expecting but also a bit humorous gaze. It was like Chan was telling him to focus in a mocking tone. </p><p>“I will focus alright”, Byungho chuckled, putting his bottle beside Chan’s next to the wall. He walked forward and halted in the middle of the hall. Chan trotted beside him like a well behaved dog, which made the brunette laugh a little. </p><p>Byungho got into position, fiddled his phone out of his pocket and started the timer. He quickly put the phone on the ground and started to chant the spell while raising his hands to channel his magic. Meanwhile, Chan walked around him, being on watch for non existent enemies. His dark wolf eyes scanned the hall attentively. </p><p>The shield created itself in front of Byungho, building itself up while being fueled by the brunette’s magic. When it was finished, Byungho quickly reached down and stopped the timer. It had taken one minute and fifty-five seconds to get the shield up. </p><p>Byungho huffed, being a little bit frustrated that he hadn’t really improved. He felt Chan pressing his wolf head against his side and automatically put his hand on the wolf hybrid’s head, stroking the fur with his thump. It was a gesture that Chan did every time Byungho showed a little bit of discouragement. Byungho always liked to think that it was Chan’s nonverbal way of telling him “Don’t worry and try again” or “You will get there”.</p><p>“Let’s try again”, Byungho said, looking down to the wolf. Chan was already looking up to him. His dark eyes shimmered a bit in the light of the trainings hall and showed nothing more than encouragement. Byungho smiled a bit, patted the wolf’s head and them resumed his position. Chan did the same. With that, they tried this again and again until the evening had arrived and the time Byungho needed to create the shield had decreased by twenty seconds. It was nothing too much but still progress.  </p><p>Byungho and Chan just laid down on the ground when they had gotten tired. At some point, Chan had turned back into his human form. The two were staring up at the ceiling, quietly laying beside each other. No words were spoken, but Byungho still had the feeling they were somehow talking and comforting each other because of tomorrow’s event. Still it was a moment he would gladly think back to in the future.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0078"><h2>78. Changjinmin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin finally realizes something important.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Being surrounded by darkness while your head hurt like someone drove over it with a truck, was bad enough, but Seungmin swore he could hear someone whisper to him too. The young demon had no clue where he was and how he was supposed to get out of there. He couldn’t see, hear or feel anything. It was like he was just floating in some void without knowing up from down or left from right. </p><p>The whispering voice was so faint he couldn’t understand one word they said, but he was pretty sure he didn’t know the owner of the voice. Still, a part of Seungmin hoped whoever was whispering to him wanted to guide him out of this void of darkness. </p><p>“What even happened before I got here?”, Seungmin thought to himself, trying to remember what had caused all this. The more he tried to remember, the worse his headache became. He couldn’t even shake his head or get his hand up to massage his temples. It was like he was just frozen in place. </p><p>The whispering got a bit louder after he gave up on trying to make sense of this situation. It was loud enough for Seungmin to realize that there were two voices that whispered to him. They were verbally fighting against each other, trying to be louder than the other one while remaining on the same volume. It made them blend together like one sound, which was weird. </p><p>Suddenly Seungmin could feel a faint touch on his head. It was warm and welcoming, but gone before the demon would properly register it. The redhead wanted to look around and try to identify where the warm but faint touch went, but the only thing he saw was complete darkness. </p><p>“I swear if this is some kind of moral compass thing, I will find a way to get rid of the whole thing”, Seungmin mentally grumbled to himself. Slowly one of the whispering voices got louder, seemingly encouraging the young demon to do whatever he wanted, but it was closely followed by the other voice, who seemingly wanted to prevent Seungmin from getting rid of his moral compass. </p><p>Somehow the second voice reminded Seungmin of Eve. Even though it obviously wasn’t the angel’s voice - nor could the redhead say it was female - but it spoke in a calmer, kinder tone than the other. </p><p>Before Seungmin could continue to think about those whispering voices, which he somehow had the feeling to understand without being able to hear their words, he felt another warm touch on his head. This time it was a bit higher up like someone had brushed past the spot where his horns should be. The feeling of warmth lingered a bit longer and Seungmin did everything in his power to concentrate on it, but again it vanished like it was never there. </p><p>The redhead cursed to himself. He just wanted to get out of this darkness and move again. Was it too much to ask? Seungmin wanted to groan in frustration of not having some sort of solution for this, but not one sound escaped his mouth. Great, so he could hear the two voices whisper and occasionally feel the warmth of someone’s touch, but he could neither see nor move and to top that wasn’t able to produce a single sound. </p><p>“At least I can still hear my own thoughts”, Seungmin huffed to himself. With nothing else to do, Seungmin focused on the two whispering voices that continued to argue without letting the redhead know what they were saying. The young demon was slowly losing his patience, but then he felt someone touch his shoulder. This time he could clearly feel that someone had laid their hand onto his shoulder, letting it linger there. </p><p>The warmth of the unknown person’s hand seemed to be absorbed by Seungmin’s body like he had been in the cold for years. Seungmin focused on the warm hand on his shoulder, not wanting to stay in this darkness any longer. </p><p>“Please just get me out of here”, the redhead mumbled, not being sure if his lips even moved or not. Slowly the whispering voices became quieter and quieter until Seungmin couldn’t hear them anymore. His headache became endurable to point where the pain felt like a dull pulse in his head. </p><p>The warmth of the touch became more prominent and slowly Seungmin was sure he was laying somewhere comfortable with his head resting on something a little higher. The coldness the demon had felt was replaced with a comfortable warmth and his hands were able to feel the soft textures of the furniture he must be resting on. He felt himself breath evenly and slowly like he was sleeping. </p><p>Slowly Seungmin regained the feeling of being able to force his eyes open. With a little bit of effort, he managed to do so, but he had to blink serval time due the bright light that shone into his eyes. After blinking a few times, Seungmin could finally see where he was. It was the little meeting room where Changbin worked with the book of vampires most of the time. </p><p>“Seungminnie? Are you awake?”, the redhead heard the familiar voice of Hyunjin ask him. The redhead looked up a bit, facing the siren, who was looking down on him with a worried expression. It took Seungmin a moment to register that his head was resting on Hyunjin’s lap. Seungmin felt his entire body heat up with panic, causing him to quickly sit up and bringing a little bit of space between himself and the other male. </p><p>The redhead took a short breath and reminded himself to focus and properly take in his surroundings. He saw that Changbin was sitting beside Hyunjin, which was something he hadn’t noticed when his head had laid on Hyunjin’s lap. The vampire had the same worried expression on his face as Hyunjin, which made Seungmin feel guilty. It was his fault that they were both worried about him because he had acted strangely after seeing them kiss.</p><p>The redhead felt something in his chest hurt when he thought back to the moment where Hyunjin had cupped Changbin’s cheeks and just kissed the vampire. He didn’t know why he had felt that way and why it still seemed to be stuck in his head. He wouldn’t call it jealousy because that wasn’t it, but it was something else he couldn’t describe. Just thinking about it made his head start hurting a bit more. He wanted to tell them both that he was fine, but when his gaze automatically went from his two group members to his lap he noticed how his hands had transformed themselves into black claws. </p><p>Seungmin could feel his heart starting to speed up just seeing those two black claws. He had thought that he had sealed them away forever, but for the moment there wasn’t enough magical energy in his body to make them disappear. This meant that Changbin and Hyunjin could see his demon form, his complete demon form. </p><p>“Seungmin, it’s okay”, the redhead could hear Changbin say. His head snapped towards the vampire, who had risen from his spot on the sofa they all sat on, and slowly walked over to Seungmin. A part of the young demon wanted to yell into his face that it wasn’t okay, that this was the demonic part of himself he wanted to hide the most because he could easily hurt people with it. He wanted to scream about how he was pretty sure he was slowly going crazy because of his stupid, messed up moral compass, but he didn’t do it. The concern glimmering in Changbin’s black eyes reminded him of the things that were important now. This was no time to show weakness. </p><p>Changbin crouched down a little when he was in front of Seungmin, so they were on eye level. The redhead could feel that his breathing had become a little bit faster, but just focusing on Changbin made it calm down. The redhead could feel his eyes sting and his heart ache because the last thing he had wanted right now was Changbin and Hyunjin seeing his demon side and how he would look like if he ever decided to visit hell. His horns and devil’s tail were something Seungmin got used to over the years, especially because Wonpil was the same, but the young demon had never see his older brother’s hands turn into claws. </p><p>Seungmin hated the black claws, that were now his hands, because he knew how easily he could hurt someone with them; he despised them because he was pretty sure he inherited them from his mother, despite never having seen something similar on her. The redhead would do anything not to see them, which was why he had sealed them away the first chance he got. He had linked the spell he had used for that to the magic energy flowing through his body, causing the spell to be a lot stronger than usual. </p><p>At this moment though, the magic energy level in Seungmin’s body was so low that it didn’t even cover his claws, but the thing that did surprise him was how neither Changbin nor Hyunjin seemed even remotely afraid of him.  Sure, Changbin had known Seungmin was a demon ever since they met, but the vampire had never really seen the other’s demonic form and Hyunjin didn’t even know what Seungmin was if nobody had told him the truth. Another deception of the young demon was revealed and if he was honest he had anticipated a more harsh reaction from them, but part of him was glad that didn’t happen. </p><p>“Seungminnie, you don’t need to hide yourself from us or be afraid”, Hyunjin spoke up, letting Seungmin look away from Changbin and to his side where the siren was still sitting on the sofa. The slightly taller male had this warm expression on his face that made the redhead feel comforted and conflicted at the same time. How could Hyunjin be so kind and calm with everything happening around him? Seungmin had wanted to take care of the siren after seeing that he was clearly upset, but now Hyunjin was the one comforting him. </p><p>Seungmin looked away from the siren back to Changbin. The vampire still had this worried shimmer in his eyes and a little concerned frown on his face. Somehow the young demon couldn’t help but think about Changbin being a king to his own kind. The vampire shouldn’t be here worrying about him, he should prepare for tomorrow, so the plan could succeed. </p><p>The redhead mentally took a breath and willed all his emotions down. He needed to get himself under control, so he could be of use. He shouldn’t worry the vampire king and he shouldn’t be a burden to anyone, who was already struggling. For a short moment, Seungmin closed his eyes and collected himself. He let his hands relax on his lap and reminded himself to not think about the terrifying black claws they had become in order to quickly regain the ability to hide them. When he reopened his eyes, he felt a little bit more in control over himself and finally had the feeling he could say something. </p><p>“I’m sorry for troubling you”, the redhead apologized, looking straight at Changbin but then glancing sideways to Hyunjin. It was just a short moment, but he saw how a bit of pain flashed in the siren’s eyes. He told himself he was imagining things. When his eyes met Changbin’s again, he was surprised to notice a bit of shock and desperation in them. </p><p>“What are you apologizing for? Seungmin, you... you used up so much magical energy without performing one spell. I know that isn’t normal for the heaven’s sake”, Changbin breathed out, like he couldn’t believe it. Seungmin looked at him calmly. He observed that the vampire seemed to be stressed by not knowing what was wrong with him. </p><p>Seungmin could feel his heart stinging but ignored it. </p><p>“I will recover. I should be fine tomorrow”, the redhead simply replied in a calm voice. Changbin looked at him with so many emotions shimmering in his black eyes that the red tint in his dark orbs became a bit more prominent. There was no way Seungmin could properly describe all the emotions in the vampire’s eyes, but he didn’t have to because the young, uncrowned king stood up turning his back to him, holding his head a little. He was obviously upset but Seungmin couldn’t really say why. </p><p>Another sting penetrated the redhead’s heart but he ignored it. </p><p>The movement beside him attracted Seungmin’s attention letting him look at Hyunjin, who stood up, walking over to Changbin. His expression showed worry, sympathy, but also a little bit of pain of the empathetic kind. The siren laid his hand on Changbin’s shoulder, positioning himself on the vampire’s side in a way that he could look at the vampire king’s face, but still see Seungmin in the corner of his eyes. The redhead didn’t understand why the siren did that but maybe he did it, so he could observe Seungmin in order to prevent anything from happening. It was only natural for the siren to be vary of a creature he had never seen before. </p><p>This kind of thinking caused the redhead to feel another sting in his heart. </p><p>Seungmin continued to observe the two other creatures while remaining as calm as possible, so he wouldn’t scare them. A little voice in his head asked Seungmin what was wrong with him in a very accusing tone but he couldn’t answer it. “Maybe this is how father feels most of the time. He is always so calm”, the redhead thought to himself. </p><p>This caused another sting in his heart. </p><p>There were no words spoken between Changbin or Hyunjin, but at some point the siren looked at him. His eyes were filled with pain, concern and fear. Their glossy shimmer let Seungmin know that he was close to tears, but he didn’t know how to react to that. </p><p>Another sting in his heart but this time it was stronger. </p><p>The siren let his hand slip from Changbin’s shoulder and walked over to Seungmin, not breaking eye contact. The redhead was pretty sure the slightly taller male would burst into tears any moment now, but it was admirable how he still had enough control over himself to seem a little bit composed. </p><p>“Seungmin, I have no idea what goes through that little head of yours and if I’m honest with myself I don’t know a lot about you and Byungho-hyung”, the siren began in a surprisingly stable and calm tone. He sat down cross legged in front of Seungmin on the ground, breaking the eye contact in order to play with his fingers in a nervous manner. The redhead listened to him feeling another sting in his heart. </p><p>“Neither of you two talk a lot about family and personal stuff, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. It didn’t stop you from being close to your friends, which is kind of admirable if I’m honest”, Hyunjin went on, occasionally looking up to Seungmin. </p><p>Every time the redhead’s dark eyes met the ones of the siren he felt a sting in his heart, which grew stronger and stronger each time. </p><p>“I felt really close to you too and it really took me a while to realize how I don’t really know much about you. I know you are smart and a little genius when it comes to magic. I know you are really protective over people you are close to and sometimes I get the feeling you do a lot of good things without anyone knowing. You aren’t arrogant despite being talented, but sometimes still a little sarcastic and cheeky”, the siren went on, having a little smile on his face when he said the last part, which contrasted his glossy eyes. </p><p>Another strong sting in his heart, made Seungmin almost want to touch his chest to check if it was okay, but he willed himself to not do it, not wanting his claws anywhere near his heart. </p><p>“If I’m honest with myself. I started to really like you when I saw you joke around with Jisung or bickering with Minho-hyung or tease Byungho-hyung about something. You always have this bright glimmer in your dark eyes when you smile or laugh. It makes someone almost jealous seeing you smile or laugh so cutely and brightly”, Hyunjin continued to talk. A bright, fond smile made it’s way onto the siren’s lips. </p><p>Seungmin could feel his eyes starting to burn a little while he felt another strong sting penetrating his heart. </p><p>The siren looked up to him, letting his eyes stare directly into his. “Seungminnie, I like you the way you are and every time I notice you hiding yourself or see you hurt I want nothing more than to help you, but I can’t do that if you don’t let me”, Hyunjin said, his glimmering eyes focused on Seungmin. Only slowly did he shift his focus to look back to Changbin for a short moment. </p><p>Seungmin’s heart was stung again, but it was a bit different this time. It hurt more. </p><p>“We both want to help you, but you need to tell us what’s wrong”, the siren added. Seungmin’s sight got a bit unclear, so he blinked to make it go away, but this just resulted in something trickling down his cheeks. He wanted to raise his hands to touch it, but he reminded himself of the claws, which currently replaced them, and let them continue to rest on his lap. In the end, it was unnecessary anyway, because Hyunjin raised himself a bit, leaning forward to wipe the tears away with his thumps. The siren’s touch was warm, but also light like a feather. </p><p>Hyunjin showed Seungmin a little comforting smile before he took his hands away and turned back to Changbin. The siren gently grabbed the vampire’s arms, turning him around. Only then did Seungmin notice Changbin’s lightly reddened eyes and wet cheeks. He had been silently crying and the redhead didn’t notice. The siren dragged the shorter male over to the sofa where Seungmin sat and then let go of his arm, crouching down in front of the redhead. He reached out his hand and casually took Seungmin’s black claw letting the redhead flinch back a little.</p><p>“Trust me”, Hyunjin whispered, looking directly into Seungmin’s eyes. The redhead blinked at the other male, internally debating on what to do, but the reassurance in the siren’s eyes let Seungmin  slowly laid his claw back onto Hyunjin’s hand. The warm palm of the sea creature felt somehow unnatural but pleasant on the coal black skin of the demon’s hand. Carefully, Hyunjin put his finger’s around Seungmin’s hand, smiling a bit to himself when the redhead didn’t flinch again. </p><p>“See? Nothing happened”, the siren said, standing up again. He sat down beside the redhead, not letting the other’s hand go, just readjusting the position a little bit. Seungmin watched the siren until he sat down beside him then his gaze went up to Changbin. The vampire just flopped down on the redhead’s other side, laying his head onto the demon’s shoulder without hesitation. Seungmin could tell that Changbin was tired, making him feel guilty because he was pretty sure it was his fault. </p><p>Somehow Seungmin asked himself why they cared so much about him. Why they hadn’t left his side and still wanted to help him, even though he was so difficult to handle right now. Maybe it would have been better if Hyunjin had just brought Byungho here without Seungmin’s consent. </p><p>“So you will just stay like that?”, Seungmin quietly said, mostly to himself. “Pretty much”, Hyunjin answered. “We will move if you tell us how to help you”, Changbin muttered, moving his head a bit on Seungmin’s shoulder to be more comfortable. The vampire’s hair tickled the redhead, letting the young demon have an excuse for his chuckling. </p><p>“You two are idiots”, Seungmin mumbled. Changbin raised his head from the demon’s shoulder and looked him directly into his eyes. The vampire’s eyes still had this red glimmer in them that had appeared when almost too many emotions were swirling in the dark orbs. </p><p>“Two idiots, who are apparently a little too much in love with you to let you continue suffering in silence”, the vampire said bluntly. For a moment, Seungmin’s breathing stopped. Changbin was articulated enough to have the ability to phrase this sentence differently, but he purposely chose to include the words ‘in love’. Almost automatically Seungmin looked over to Hyunjin, who was still gently holding one of his claws. The siren didn’t seem surprised or shocked at all. </p><p>“He isn’t wrong”, Hyunjin agreed with Changbin with a little smile on his lips. Seungmin looked back to the vampire and felt his heart speed up with each passing second, but it wasn’t a bad thing. Changbin still looked at him in the same direct fashion as before. It made the redhead feel almost small. Still, Seungmin had the urge to distance himself a bit, so he stood up, carefully letting his hand slip out of Hyunjin’s. He took some steps away from the sofa before turning around. </p><p>He had no clue if he understood what Changbin had said correctly. He didn’t even know whenever he interpreted it the right way. “Okay, hold up. Explain, please because I have no clue if I understood that right. Why would you say ‘in love’?”, Seungmin asked, looking at Changbin. “And why would you agree?”, he added, looking over to Hyunjin. </p><p>“Because that’s the truth”, Hyunjin answered, looking at Changbin for a brief moment. Seungmin felt his heart thump in his rib cage while he felt a certain warmth spread through his body. It was comfortable and nice, but the demon’s head still had trouble understanding the situation. Changbin and Hyunjin couldn’t be in love with him, could they? They had feelings for each other why include him in that? Sure, he liked both of them but ... He ... he liked both of them the same way.</p><p>“Why would you be in love with me if you have each other?”, Seungmin mumbled. “Because I feel the same way about you the way I feel about Hyunjin”, Changbin answered in a softer voice. He let a hand run through his hair for a short moment while Seungmin’s heart was running a marathon. He knew that it was possible to fall in love with more than one person at the same time, but he had no clue it would happen to him and that those feelings would be returned. </p><p>The demon looked over to Hyunjin. The siren smiled a little bit and stood up to walk over to Seungmin with careful steps like he was afraid the redhead would run away from him. “Trust me when I say our little vampire has had a crush on you for a long time”, he chuckled. </p><p>Without thinking about the words, the question “What about you?” slipped out of Seungmin’s mouth. For a short moment, Hyunjin was surprised but then his lips curved upwards in one of his beautiful light smiles. </p><p>“I think I had a crush on the both of you since getting to know you properly”, he answered. Seungmin’s heart did a little flip after hearing that, but when he shyly looked down he saw his black claws again. </p><p>“How can they be in love with me out of all the people they could have chosen instead”, Seungmin thought to himself. “Seungminnie”, Hyunjin called the redhead’s nickname. The redhead looked up to the siren and before he could properly react he felt the other’s lips on his own. Almost automatically did the redhead close his eyes and didn’t even think about pulling away for even a second. The siren’s lips were so soft and somehow Seungmin felt encouraged and loved by the other’s kiss. </p><p>Changbin saying “Rude” in a pouty tone let Seungmin pull away from the kiss and look over to the vampire, who had stood up from his place on the sofa, and walked over to them. Seungmin felt his face get hot with embarrassment. Yes, he just kissed Changbin’s probably boyfriend in front of the vampire. When Changbin stood by the two other males, he just laid a hand on Seungmin’s cheek turned the demon’s head a bit towards him and kissed him too. </p><p>Seungmin was taken back at first, being entirely confused about what the hell was happening and how they even got to this point, but the way Changbin’s lips moved against his own made the redhead internally melt and forget to think for the moment. Just concentrating on Changbin and how the other managed to give him comfort, strength and reassurance through a kiss. </p><p>When they pulled apart Seungmin was a bit breathless, but he felt like he was above the clouds for a moment. Yeah, he was pretty sure he liked both Hyunjin and Changbin and just took way too long to realize it. </p><p>The redhead looked at both Hyunjin and Changbin for a moment, seeing that despite everything happening around them they still managed to have a warm shimmer in their eyes and somehow had enough love to share a little bit of it with him. </p><p>“I’m really damn lucky for a demon”, Seungmin thought to himself and looked down to his hands again, seeing that they have transformed back. They looked normal again, which was a relief to him because it also meant that his magical energy was reloading itself. </p><p>“You know you can talk to us about anything, do you?”, Hyunjin asked, basically saying the same thing Changbin did three days ago. Seungmin looked back up the two. If he was honest he was still a little bit afraid. </p><p>“I know. I’m just ... it’s hard to, to talk about it after hiding it for so long”, Seungmin stuttered a bit, avoiding to look at both Hyunjin and Changbin. “Can you tell us what was wrong with you earlier?”, Changbin asked carefully. Seungmin debated about telling them until he remembered what he had asked his mother after receiving the news of his condition. There was a possibility to solve it if he told them. </p><p>“It’s... it’s something special, meaning there is no real treatment for it”, was the only thing Seungmin brought out. Changbin and Hyunjin looked at each other worriedly before focusing back on Seungmin. He really didn’t want to see them worried again. </p><p>“It will pass, so don’t worry”, the redhead tried to dismiss the topic, but the way Changbin and Hyunjin looked at him, made it clear to him that there was no getting out of this now. Seungmin sighed, knowing he had to tell them now. They have been through so much with him today, they deserved it. </p><p>“I think we should sit down again. Explaining everything may take a while”, Seungmin sighed. Hyunjin and Changbin nodded and the taller of the two silently took the redhead’s hand in a reassuring manner, like he was showing Seungmin once more that he would stand by him no matter what. </p><p>The three sat down on the sofa again with Seungmin in the middle and the redhead began to clarify what his real species was for Hyunjin. The siren’s reaction to being told that Seungmin was a real demon was a bit weird since he reacted with a bit of interest, but it didn’t last when the redhead got to the part with his moral compass. </p><p>Explaining that a demon’s moral compass was different from the one of other creatures was already a challenge to Seungmin, but then having to clarify that in his case it was even more messed up was definitely not easy. Through the whole thing Seungmin felt absolutely vulnerable for no reason, but Changbin and Hyunjin made sure to let him know that he was save with them, which was the only reason he could continue to be honest and not slip in some minor lies. </p><p>At the end, Seungmin felt uneasy because while talking about the whole thing with his moral compass, he realized how little he knew about his own condition. He could only tell them what he knew from his mother and what Byungho had told him when he was preventing Seungmin’s moral compass from using up all his magical energy. </p><p>“So your messed up moral compass, makes it hard for you to understand what’s wrong and what’s right and let’s your magical energy start overloading to the point where it just completely drains you”, Changbin summarized the whole thing very quickly. Seungmin nodded, not looking at the vampire but rather focusing on his hands, which laid in his lap. His left hand was gently held by Hyunjin. Their fingers were intertwined and somehow Seungmin had the feeling their hands fitted together perfectly.</p><p>Seungmin only looked up again when Changbin let his hand slip under the redhead’s right one, intertwining their fingers as well. “Thank you for telling us”, the vampire said in the most honest and fond tone Seungmin had ever heard come out of his mouth. </p><p>“We can help you now. Together with Byungho-hyung”, Hyunjin spoke up as well. Seungmin looked over to the siren, who had taken in all the information so surprisingly well, the young demon was very close to just declaring him a saint. Maybe his eyes showed that a little bit because Hyunjin raised their intertwined hands and placed a small kiss on the back of Seungmin’s hand. That was somehow enough for Seungmin to finally feel a bit relieved and at peace for the moment but a bit of doubt remained. </p><p>“You really aren’t creeped out or scared?”, Seungmin asked, looking at Hyunjin and then Changbin. “There is no way I would be scared of you for being yourself”, Hyunjin was the first to reply, he looked at Seungmin and then raised his gaze to the redhead’s horn. “Besides somehow those black horns really compliment your eyes and match your hair”, the siren added, carefully raising a hand to Seungmin’s horns. He looked into Seungmin’s eyes like asking for permission before touching them. The demon gave him a little nod, signaling that it was okay. Hyunjin let his hands trail over the surface of the black horns, letting a familiar kind of warmth spread through Seungmin’s body. It was like the warmth that pulled him out of the strange darkness he had been in before waking up. </p><p>“I agree with Hyunjin. Trust us a little, alright?”, Changbin spoke up, letting Seungmin look over to the vampire without turning his head too much in order to not hurt Hyunjin. The redhead knew Changbin was a man of his words, but the reassurance in his eyes made it even more prominent that they would stand by him no matter what. </p><p>A light knock on the door let the three males stop their motions. “Whose there?”, Changbin asked loud and clear. “Wonpil and Dowoon. I’m just searching for Seungmin because we should head home”, Wonpil replied from the other side of the door. “Come in, hyungs”, Seungmin replied instead of Changbin. </p><p>Wonpil opened the door and entered the door with Dowoon being behind him. The older redhead looked at the three younger males on the sofa for a short moment, letting Seungmin become a bit shy, resulting in him letting go of Changbin’s and Hyunjin’s hand. </p><p>“Everything alright?”, the older then asked in a worried and careful tone, reminding Seungmin of the fact that he only had his horns and devil’s tail on display when something was wrong or if he was low on magic energy. </p><p>“Just low on magical energy, so I might need your help”, Seungmin said and stood up, walking over to his older brother. Wonpil still seemed a bit worried, but laid his hand on top of Seungmin’s head and mumbled a spell, making the young demon’s horns and devil’s tail disappear. </p><p>“Are you sure everything is fine”, Seungmin could hear Wonpil ask with his demon voice. “I am now. Don’t worry, hyung”, he replied with his own demon voice and then turned back around to Changbin and Hyunjin. Both were still seated on the sofa and seemingly didn’t know how to properly react either. </p><p>“I will be off then”, Seungmin said simply and prayed that it didn’t sound as awkward as he thought. Changbin nodded, seemingly being a bit shy, judging by the way he avoided to look at Wonpil and Dowoon. </p><p>“Rest well”, Hyunjin said with a little smile, that didn’t seem as genuine as the others and Seungmin knew why. This would probably be the last time they saw each other before the rescue mission. It also reminded Seungmin of the promise he made to the siren, causing him to use his demon voice again. </p><p>“I will keep my promise, Hyunjin. Messed up moral compass or not I’m bringing everyone back safe”, he said, watching how the siren looked at him with a bit of surprise. Seungmin just showed a little smile before he left the room with Wonpil and Dowoon.</p>
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<a name="section0079"><h2>79. The last step</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Kim brothers make a promise and Felix is clearly love with Jeongin.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning of the day of the rescue mission arrived earlier than Byungho had expected. Wonpil woke him up at 2 am along with Seungmin and Woosu. Of course, Samuel also woke up in the progress. </p><p>The five Kim brothers had all slept in Woosu’s room for the pure reason of not wanting to sleep alone. Ever since a certain accident let Wonpil’s room have a weird atmosphere, the five brothers made it a habit to sleep in Byungho, Woosu or Samuel’s room. </p><p>Samuel, still huddled up in his blanket, watched how his brothers got ready for their departure. A bang of guilt hit Byungho’s chest when he looked over to his youngest brother and saw nothing but fear and worry shimmering in the siren’s glassy, dark eyes. Byungho forced himself to look away and focused on putting on his black bomber jacket. </p><p>“Everyone ready?”, Wonpil asked after everyone except for Samuel was dressed. Byungho nodded in confirmation like Woosu and Seungmin before his focus shifted onto Samuel. He wanted to say something to comfort his youngest brother, but he didn’t get the chance to do that. </p><p>Samuel threw his blanket carelessly to the ground and rushed over to his four older brothers, tackling them into a big hug. The air was knocked out of Byungho’s lungs when Samuel crashed into him, almost letting him bump against Seungmin, who stood close to him. </p><p>“You have to promise me to come back!”, Samuel began to sob. The siren was in between Byungho and Woosu, clinging onto the two older males like his life depended on it. Byungho could feel his eyes beginning to sting and he wanted to say something, but he didn’t trust his voice enough at the moment. </p><p>“I know we haven’t been a family for even a year but I can’t loose you! You’re the best brothers I got”, the siren cried, tightening his grip on Byungho and Woosu a bit more. Byungho’s heart ached just seeing his youngest brother like that. Samuel may be 15 years old, but right now he seemed a lot younger with the tear spilling out of his eyes uncontrollably. </p><p>Seungmin walked around Byungho so he was at Samuel’s side and could hug the youngest Kim brother properly. The basically same thing did Wonpil. Now, Samuel was in the middle of the hug and bawled his eyes out. </p><p>“Trust us a little bit more, Samuel”, Woosu spoke up. The warlock with the white hair showed the youngest a kind and warm smile, but Byungho could see the tears in the corner of the other’s eyes. Woosu freed one of his arms from Samuel’s grip and patted the siren’s head. </p><p>“Woosu is right. We’re gonna come back in no time”, Seungmin added, laying his head on Samuel’s shoulder. Byungho looked at the redhead for a moment longer before his focus was back on Samuel, who was slowly calming down. </p><p>Byungho had no clue what Changbin and Seungmin did yesterday, or if Hyunjin was involved too, but whatever it was he was glad it happened because Seungmin seemed happier and more focused now. It was like he had regained a certain balance, but was it enough to solve the problem with Seungmin’s moral compass? </p><p>There was no telling how long it took Samuel to calm down, but after he did the five brothers headed out of the room towards the entrance hall where their father should be waiting. It was strange to Byungho how calm his father was about the whole thing. It seemed like the devil was just not worried about four of his five sons participating in a possibly dangerous rescue mission. Was there a possibility that Lucifer knew what was going to happen and that his calmness was actually a good sign? </p><p>When the five brothers reached the staircase, which lead to the entrance hall, Byungho was surprised to see not only Lucifer standing at the bottom of the stairs. Beside the tall man with the black hair stood Lilith. The woman with the blood-red hair had her arms crossed over her chest and looked up to the five Kim brothers as soon as they reached the top of the staircase. Even in the dimly lit entrance hall, Byungho could feel Lilith’s blood red eyes pierce through him. </p><p>“Good morning to the five of you”, Lucifer greeted his sons with his usual, unreadable smile. “Good morning, father”, Samuel said and walked down the stairs alongside his four older brothers. Samuel was the only child, who reacted to Lucifer in a rather polite manner. Some time ago, Seungmin had voiced the theory that the siren was only polite towards his father, because he hadn’t lived in the mansion for too long. In that moment, Byungho wasn’t entirely sure about that theory being true because he had almost greeted Lucifer himself. </p><p>When the five brothers reached the bottom of the staircase Byungho noticed how Lilith’s gaze rested on Seungmin. She uncrossed her arms, revealing a silver necklace in her right hand. </p><p>“In case your moral compass decides to go crazy in the wrong moment”, Lilith said nonchalantly and held the necklace towards Seungmin. The necklace was a bright silver and had a shining red stone as charm. It was a pretty necklace and matched Seungmin’s hair, but Byungho had no clue what exactly the necklace was supposed to do, or why exactly Lilith wanted Seungmin to have it. Usually she didn’t care about neither of her two sons, so why the sudden change of heart? </p><p>Seungmin mustered his mother and the necklace quietly before took the piece of jewelry. The moment the necklace touched Seungmin’s hand Byungho could feel the dark magic radiating from the red stone, but it quickly settled down.</p><p>“The stone is charged with magic, which should serve you as a last resort in case your moral compass drains you of your own magic”, Lilith said in the same neutral and emotionless tone as before. She crossed her arms over her chest again with her red eyes still focused on Seungmin. </p><p>The young demon looked at the necklace for a moment before he put it around his neck. Byungho really wanted to know what went through Seungmin’s head when the stone had radiated dark magic, or why he seemed to plan actually using the necklace. Somehow he had the feeling Lilith was planing something, but he couldn’t say what. </p><p>“We should get going. Otherwise you will be late”, Lucifer spoke up, gaining the attention of his sons and Lilith. The devil seemed absolutely unbothered by the current situation and kept up the light smile on his lips. It made a certain anger start boiling in the pit of Byungho’s stomach. If Lilith really did plan something, Lucifer knew of it. </p><p>On the other hand, Seungmin wasn’t stupid. If the redhead had the feeling his mother was planing something, he wouldn’t have taken the necklace. Maybe it really was to help Seungmin in case of an emergency and Byungho was just being paranoid?</p><p>“Well, I wish you luck, even though you won’t need it”, Lilith mused before walking away, not sparing her two sons one glance. A weird feeling of relief flooded Byungho’s system. This action seemed a lot more like Lilith. </p><p>“You have to keep your promise”, Samuel mumbled beside him. The siren wasn’t only looking at Byungho, but all of his older brothers. The eyes of the youngest Kim brother were still a bit red from his earlier crying, but the initial fear in his eyes was replaced with a certain shimmering hope. </p><p>“We will. Don’t worry”, Wonpil said, ruffling the siren’s black hair. Normally Samuel would protest and swat Wonpil’s hand away, but this time he didn’t. He just smiled a little bit. The siren quickly hugged each of his brothers individually before letting him go over to Lucifer. The devil waited patiently for his four sons to be ready.</p><p>“Ready?”, Lucifer asked when Wonpil, Byungho, Woosu and Seungmin stood before him while Samuel remained on the staircase. Byungho glanced at the young siren before nodding towards his father. A smile stretched itself onto Lucifer’s lips and in the next moment the five Kims stood in the lobby of the NCT headquarter. </p><p>“Let’s go. I think the others are waiting for us”, Woosu said and took off towards the magical entrance of the headquarter. </p><p>“Wait”, Lucifer suddenly said. The tone ins his voice alone let Byungho freeze on the spot. Usually Lucifer sounded carefree, unbothered and often amused. Only rarely did his voice have a more serious undertone. </p><p>Slowly Byungho looked at his father’s face. The smile had fallen from Lucifer’s face, leaving him with an relaxed and almost worried expression. </p><p>“Be careful and look out for each other, alright?”, Lucifer told them in a quiet almost soft voice. His dark eyes focused on each of the four brothers individually until the devil gaze lingered on Byungho just for a second longer. </p><p>It was an odd request, considering the Kim brother have always looked out for each other and no one of them was reckless enough to not be careful, especially after they had collectively promised Samuel to return home safely. </p><p>“We have always looked out for each other. We don’t plan on changing that, father”, Woosu was the first one to reply to Lucifer. The warlock with the white hair smiled into his father direction before he focused on his brothers. </p><p>“We should get going”, he urged his brothers and quickly took off. Seungmin and Wonpil followed him after glancing at each other for a short moment. Byungho wanted to follow them too, but something made him hesitate. He glanced towards his father, who looked after Woosu, Wonpil and Seungmin walking through the magical door of the NCT headquarter. His dark eyes were filled with something warm but also a certain pride. </p><p>“We’ll be back soon, father”, Byungho mumbled more to himself than to Lucifer. Still, the devil heard him and showed a light smiled while his eyes remained focused in the entrance to the NCT headquarter where Seungmin, Wonpil and Woosu were waiting for Byungho. </p><p>Without waiting for another reaction from his father Byungho took off, joining his brothers. Maybe he had been wrong and Lucifer did worry about them, but when it came to his father Byungho had a hard time figuring out what to believe or even think. </p><p>For now, he wanted to believe that his father cared for him and his brothers enough to be worried about the outcome of the rescue mission. </p><p>—————————</p><p>Felix was content in his deep, dreamless sleep with someone’s warmth right beside him, but he couldn’t stay like that forever and he subconsciously knew that. It was one of the main reasons Minho was able to coax Felix out of his sleeping state by just calling his name twice and a soft nudge on the shoulder. The ginger cat hybrid blinked sleepily, looking up at his older brother with tired eyes. </p><p>“Come on, Felix. We have to get ready”, Minho whispered. His green cat eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the room. Only a little bit of light from the moon was filtering through the room’s curtains, otherwise everything was dark. </p><p>Felix grumbled in acknowledgment, but was still too tired to form proper words. He knew he had to get up, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. A sigh escaped Minho, letting Felix look up to his brother’s eyes once again. The only answer he got for that was Minho ruffling through his hair before he turned and walking to the other side of the room.</p><p>The younger cat hybrid looked after the older for a brief moment before he reminded himself to get up, even though it was so pleasantly warm underneath the blanket. When Felix attempted to move, he was reminded of the person sleeping right next to him. </p><p>Jeongin was curled up on his side, still sleeping. Despite the darkness of the room, Felix could see the kitsune’s cute sleeping face. The only time Jeongin looked like the youngest of Stray Kids was when he was asleep, No, wait that wasn’t the only time. Yesterday, when Jeongin had turned up in the trainings hall all of the sudden and had hugged Felix like his life had depended on it, he had looked like the 16 year old teen he was supposed to be. Otherwise, Jeongin was this highly intelligent and observant kitsune, who had way too much talent. </p><p>Felix mentally sighed, wishing he could stay in bed with Jeongin for a little while longer. The ginger slowly got the blanket, which had been draped over him, off and carefully detached himself from Jeongin in order to not wake the sleeping kitsune. When he succeeded to get out of bed without waking Jeongin he stretched a little bit and rolled his shoulder before he turned around, looking for Minho. </p><p>The older stood near the bed he usually shared with Jisung, but the warlock with the blue hair was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Changbin, but Felix couldn’t remember that the vampire had one into the room in the first place. Maybe had slept in Hyunjin and Jeongin’s room? </p><p>Minho, who was fixing the fingerless gloves he wore, looked up to meet his brother’s gaze. The older was dressed in a pair of black cargo pants, a tight, black, long sleeve shirt, which was tucked into the pants, and a pair of combat boots. It was probably the outfit they were supposed to wear for the rescue mission.</p><p>The older pointed onto the chair, which stood near the window. On the chair was another nicely folded overall and to its feet stood a pair of black combat boots. Felix got the message Minho probably wanted to convey and walked over to the chair to grab the outfit and boots. The ginger disappeared into the bathroom to quickly freshen up and getting dressed. </p><p>The outfit didn’t seem too warm at first glance, but it did surprisingly well against the morning cold. Maybe it was enchanted? If not he hoped it would also stand against the cold air of February or they would get a warm jacket. </p><p>Felix quickly left the bathroom, wanting to quickly join his brother and hopefully the rest of their group. He was set on heading out until he hear Jeongin’s sleepy voice calling his name. The ginger automatically looked over to his bed where Jeongin was still supposed to be sleeping. </p><p>“I’m waiting outside for you”, Minho whispered to Felix before passing the ginger and leaving the room. Normally, Felix would have looked after his brother out of pure instinct, but right now his whole body seemed to be occupied with slowly and quietly making his way over to Jeongin. He hadn’t imagined the other calling him right? Minho would have reacted differently if that was the case, right? </p><p>When Felix kneeled down on the side of the moment, Jeongin had his eyes still closed and seemed to be very much asleep. Only slowly did the kitsune open his eyes just a little bit. He looked way too tired to be up, but Felix guessed that it was pretty early despite having no clue about the exact time. </p><p>“You have to come back to me. Remember that”, the kitsune mumbled barely audible to even Felix’s cat ears. Those words alone let warmth spread through every cell of Felix’s body. He reached out a hand and let his finger thread through Jeongin’s messy blond her. </p><p>“I promise”, Felix whispered and couldn’t help but let a small smile make its way onto his lips. Jeongin grumbled contently and leaned a bit into Felix touch before closing his eyes again. He was asleep again within seconds. </p><p>Felix slowly took his hand out of Jeongin’s hair, keeping his eyes focused on the sleeping younger male. HIs smile became a bit fonder and before he rose to join his brother outside, he pressed a short kiss onto his mate’s forehead. He would make sure to keep his promise. </p><p>When Felix stepped out of the room, he was greeted by not only his brother but basically his whole rescue mission group. All of them were dressed in the same outfit as him, except for Chan, who had a white bandanna warped around his right upper arm as an addition, and Changbin, who wore a coat over his uniform. </p><p>“Seems like we’re all here now, so let’s go”, Changbin said with a lowered voice to not be too loud. Chan nodded and then naturally took the lead, heading for the staircase. Felix was somehow glad, but also curious about why Changbin was with them. Shouldn’t he be with his group for the rescue mission? </p><p>The ginger’s curiosity let him match his pace with the vampire, who calmly walked beside Seungmin. </p><p>“Hey, hyung shouldn’t you be with your vampire hyungs?”, Felix asked quietly, gaining the vampire’s attention. <br/>“Yeah, I should be, but I will meet up with them in the trainings hall anyway, so it’s not a big deal”, Changbin admitted, smiling a bit nervously. Felix hoped dearly that Changbin wasn’t in trouble for joining them. After all, Felix was very glad he could see Changbin again before the start of the rescue mission. </p><p>“I’m glad you joined us, hyung”, Felix admitted, showing the vampire a little smile. Changbin looked at the ginger with a bit of surprised before mirroring the other’s smile. </p><p>“Me too”, the vampire mumbled more to himself than Felix. It could be just the ginger’s imagination, but he could swear that Changbin when said that he glanced over to Seungmin. Still, he wasn’t entirely sure if that was correct, or how he should even interpret that.</p><p>When the group walked down the staircase they met some other groups, which were also heading towards the main hall. Among them was BTS, which made Felix a little worried, but he just prayed to all known gods, that Taehyung and Minho would be professional. </p><p>When the group got out of the staircase and into the main hall, Felix couldn’t really recall since he just saw other people heading the same way. Somewhere along the way Changbin and Jisung had split themselves off to go to their groups. It kinda hurt to see Minho looking after Jisung with a mix of worry and fear, but Chan was the one to reassure him that Jisung would be safe.</p><p>“Can I have everyone’s attention for a brief moment?”, the voice of Doyoung echoed through the hall, letting everyone focus their gazes onto the familiar stage. Taeyong stood there along with Kun, Doyoung and Johnny. </p><p>“Before we start the operation I want to remind you of the most important aspect of this mission. We want to save people and not give the hunters an opportunity to capture more”, Taeyong began looking over the crowd. “Should you find yourselves outnumbered or in a tricky situation fall back and return to a save point per portal and not try anything reckless. We are prepared for multiple rescue attempts and to keep the hunters at bay at the save points, but we maybe won’t be able to save newly captured ones”, the guardian continued. The hall had grown silent and everyone was fully focused on Taeyong. The guardian took a breath before continuing. </p><p>“With that said we can rescue the innocents, who have taken prisoner for no reason, and teach the hunters a lesson they won’t forget in the near future”, the guardian continued his voice becoming a bit louder. “We will show them that we will not back down silently and take part in their hunting game”, Taeyong went on, his blue eyes glimmering. The statement was followed by the howls of the moon pack and affirmative yells. </p><p>“They may think they have the upper hand, but they do not and that is what we will show them today”, Taeyong ended his booming voice being shallowed by the cheering of the other peoples in the hall. </p><p>Felix felt his chest swell with something he could only describe as pride and confidence. Taeyong was right. The hunters haven’t won yet, nor will they ever. The ones they took prisoner will be saved and then they will realized with what they are truly messing. </p><p>Not far from the ginger a gigantic magical portal was opened. It lead to the first save point where Felix and his group would wait until the first part of the rescue mission was done. </p><p>Felix looked around a little bit until he spotted Minho not far from him beside Chan. He quickly made his way over to his brother and grabbed the other’s hand. Minho immediately looked at the ginger and Felix showed his brother a smile. They would safe their parents for sure, Felix knew that. </p><p>“Ready?”, Felix asked his older brother. Minho nodded. “Yeah”, he answered, focusing on the magical portal ahead of him, “Let’s do this”.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0080"><h2>80. The safety of a lie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin says goodbye to Seungmin, so he has nothing to regret and Taeyong manages to infiltrate the hunter’s headquarter with his group and the vampires.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin’s gaze kept flickering over to his friends instead of focusing on the magical portal right in front of him. The vampires chest began to ache just thinking about not being by their side when they maybe need him the most. He knew had responsibilities as the heir to the vampire throne and he knew the reason why he was among other vampires for this mission, but it felt somehow strong to not stand beside his friends and a certain redhead.</p><p>Seungmin’s hair was the most visible to Changbin among the crowd of creatures, which filled the trainings hall just waiting for the signal to walk through the portal, that would lead them to their first save point. Objectively, Changbin knew he should look ahead, check the magical cloak he had gotten for this mission and converse with his fellow group members, but some kind of instinct seemed to keep telling him to search for the familiar mob of red hair over and over again just to be sure Seungmin was there and fine. </p><p>The vampire regretted not having said a proper goodbye to Seungmin and his friends. After all, it could be the last time he saw them. Unlike most creatures in the hall, Changbin had remained completely unaffected by Taeyong’s speech. Sure, he wanted the hunters to pay for what they did, but he knew all too well how much of a threat they were, especially with Zendala at their side. He wasn’t excited or had the feeling they could complete the mission without casualties. No. If Changbin had learned one thing from his training as the successor of his parents, it was that there were always casualties no matter how good the plan was. </p><p>This way of thinking was the whole reason why Changbin had entrusted Hyunjin with keeping the book of vampires safe. To most people it may sound like a foolish decision to entrust an old artifact of the vampires to a siren, but Changbin trusted Hyunjin to take care of it should he not return from the mission.</p><p>Just thinking about the siren let a restricting feeling settle in the pit of the vampire’s stomach. He had said his goodbyes to Hyunjin in some way, but never really verbally. After Seungmin had went home the previous evening, Changbin had stayed with Hyunjin in that meeting room for a while longer ultimately giving the book of vampires to the siren. </p><p>“Binnie?”, the worried voice of Baekhyun lets Changbin almost flinch away from the older vampire. His heart was pounding in his chest like he had just been caught cheating on a test. Baekhyun looked at him with only sympathy in his blue eyes and laid his hand onto the short male’s shoulder. </p><p>Baekhyun was dressed in the same manner as Changbin with the enchanted outfit basically everyone wore and the also enchanted cloak. Changbin guessed the enchantments on the cloths were something all of the older magical creatures from all the different groups had worked on. If not then Nakamoto Yuta, Dong Sicheng and all the other magical creatures of NCT were truly an underestimated force. </p><p>“Keep yourself a bit more focused, alright?”, Baekhyun advised, once again directing Changbin’s attention towards the present event. The older vampire wasn’t looking at Changbin anymore and instead focused on the big portal. Changbin followed the older male’s gaze and saw Taeyong, Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung and Jungwoo in front of the portal. All of them wore cloaks just like the vampires surrounding Changbin. Doyoung was the one, who turned towards the main crowd, looking more serious than Changbin was anticipating. </p><p>“We’re heading to the first save point now, so get your guards up”, Doyoung said, his voice echoing loudly and clearly through the almost silent hall. After this announcement Doyoung turned around again and walked through the portal with Taeyong, Johnny and Jungwoo while Yuta stayed behind, probably to keep the portal in check. </p><p>The next crowd began to slowly move. The other NCT members quickly followed their leader and hyungs, and shortly after that Baekhyun nudged Changbin forward. With one last glance over his shoulder towards his friends, Changbin walked through the portal with his vampire hyungs and Wonpil close behind him. <br/>Despite not being a magical creature, Changbin could still feel the massive amount of magic this big portal must cost Yuta. In all honesty, Yuta should be world famous for his magical talent. </p><p>Before Changbin could really register it he was greeted by the cold February air and the darkness of the night. His eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light and he continued to move forward until he was far enough away from the portal to not be in anyone’s way. </p><p>The first save point wasn’t too far from the hunter’s headquarter, but still out of reach for Zendala’s magic. They shouldn’t be detected here. NCT and KARD had chosen a nice place for this save point since it was surrounded by a forest, but also right on a cliff. </p><p>Changbin looked down to see a little hut in the vale below them. This hut was the entrance to the gigantic underground headquarter the hunters had build for themselves. Somewhere underneath the ground, protected by Zendala’s magic were the vampires, cat hybrids and missing NCT members they wanted to rescue.</p><p>The vampire lightly gritted his teeth, forcing himself to look away from the hut. It may have been a coincidence, but when Changbin looked back into the direction of the portal his eyes immediately fell onto Seungmin, who had just walked through the portal along with the other members of Stray Kids. Just seeing the redhead among his friends let the regret, which he had previously felt, crawl back into his mind. He regretted having rushed to his vampire hyungs as soon as he saw them without having said anything properly to his friends, to Seungmin. </p><p>The only person who got a proper goodbye from Changbin was Hyunjin. After all, the had talked about the vampire’s departure before heading to the room Changbin shared with Minho, Jisung and Felix. Just thinking about this made Changbin recall how nice it was having Hyunjin beside him and how cute the siren looked while sleeping like a rock. </p><p>Before Changbin had left the bed, he had pecked Hyunjin’s lips and kissed his forehead for reasons he couldn’t name. He wasn’t sure if the siren had even taken notice of the vampire’s nonverbal goodbye, but it gave Changbin a feeling of closure. It was like he could focus better, knowing he had left Hyunjin with a good last memory. With the rest of Stray Kids and especially Seungmin, he didn’t have that. </p><p>“You know if you’re quick no one will know you were gone”, Changkyun said next to the young, uncrowned king. Changbin jumped a bit to the side, looking at the older vampire with wide eyes for a moment. </p><p>Changkyun wasn’t focusing on Changbin, instead he was looking over to his own group, MonstaX. It took Changbin a moment to register the suggestion within Changkyun’s words, but as soon as he did, he took off. If Changkyun was giving him a second chance of saying goodbye, he was going to take it. </p><p>Changbin reached Seungmin and his friends within seconds. They all looked a bit startled, but right now the vampire’s attention was on a certain redhead. Seungmin’s dark eyes stared at Changbin with surprise being the primary emotion in the pool of dark colors. It took Changbin a bit of willpower to not just kiss the slightly taller, but still younger male. </p><p>The vampire wanted to start talking to all of his friends and Seungmin collectively until Changkyun’s words echoed in his minds. If he was quick no one would miss them. </p><p>“We’ll be gone for just a moment”, Changbin quickly said, before scooping Seungmin up in his arms and taking off again. The redhead made a cute, surprised squealing sound before Changbin ran away from the hut of the hunters and a bit deeper into the forest, so they were out of hearing reach for anyone with good ears. When they were far enough away, Changbin stopped abruptly, setting Seungmin down, so the redhead could stand on his own again. </p><p>“Goodness, hyung. What has gotten into you? Your vampire hyungs need you, idiot”, Seungmin started to scold the vampire, but he didn’t look upset or anything. In all honesty, he was more cute than ever with his dark eyes glimmering slightly in the faint moonlight, which was falling through the naked branches of the trees. His hair seemed to faintly glow in a warm shade of red and his cheeks were slightly puffed after he stopped talking. </p><p>Vampires were creatures that often praised themselves as having no animalistic instincts like most creatures, but in this moment Changbin felt like his body was moving entirely on his own. He cupped Seungmin slightly puffed cheeks and just kissed him like it was the only thing he was meant to do. </p><p>At first he could feel Seungmin tense, but it was gone within a heartbeat. The redhead eased into the vampire’s touch, kissing him back like it was natural. Seungmin’s right hand wandered up to Changbin’s on his cheek and laid itself over it automatically. Changbin could feel the warmth of Seungmin’s hand, but more importantly he could feel the redhead’s soft lips on his own. </p><p>It may be only the second time Changbin ever kissed Seungmin, but it felt almost too natural for that to be true. </p><p>Changbin had no clue how long the kiss lasted when Seungmin pulled away, but it could have even both a mere second and an eternity. When the vampire opened his eyes, not remembering when he even closed them, he was met with Seungmin leaning into his touch with his eyes closed. It knocked the air out of the vampire’s lungs and for a moment he forgot how to form words. </p><p>He was just entirely, utterly, completely in love with Kim Seungmin. </p><p>When Seungmin reopened his dark eyes and looked directly in Changbin’s, the vampire was baffled by the sheer determination he could see in them. The usually calm, almost calculating dark orbs, who seemed so full with knowledge and ideas, burned with a fighting spirit. </p><p>“If this is some sort of goodbye kiss, I will cast a curse over you”, Seungmin said, though it was obviously an empty threat. Changbin blinked at the redhead, not knowing what to say or do because he did want to properly say goodbye to Seungmin, but he hadn’t really planned on kissing him. It had been more of a spontaneous kind of thing. </p><p>“Hyung, we will get out of this. All of us, so there is no need for final goodbyes”, Seungmin went on, taking Changbin’s hands off his cheeks and just holding them. The vampire continued to look at the redhead not knowing how to response. He had always taken Seungmin to be a realist, but right now he showed an optimism, that hadn’t been there before. </p><p>Changbin was only ripped out of his trance when Seungmin’s gaze dropped down to their hands, which hung connected between them. It let Changbin also notice the silver necklace which hung around the other’s neck. Was it new? Had it something to do with Seungmin’s magic?</p><p>“I promised Hyunjin we would all come back”, Seungmin seemed to whisper to himself before he once again raised his gaze, looking directly into Changbin’s eyes. “I will keep that promise even when I have to call upon powers beyond this world”, the redhead added in the same soft tone. Changbin’s eyes widen slightly after Seungmin said that. Did the redhead really plan on summoning hellish forces when it came down to it? Wasn’t that dangerous even for a demon?</p><p>The questions kept spiraling in Changbin’s head until Seungmin smiled lightly, leaning forward just a bit to connect their foreheads. The vampire continued to look at the redhead, who had closed his eyes again, while a warm feeling blossomed in his chest. He had no idea what to say and he hated it. He was supposed to say something Seungmin, so he wouldn’t leave the other without notice, and yet here he was not getting out one word. </p><p>“No goodbyes, alright? Make it a ‘See you later’ and we’ll be fine”, Seungmin mumbled softly. In that moment, Changbin really did question just how much he loved the other. It wasn’t too long ago that Seungmin was just Wonpil’s younger brother to Changbin and now he was so much more. </p><p>Despite the restricting feeling in his throat Changbin forced himself to mumbled the words Seungmin apparently wanted to hear from him. “See you later then”, the vampire said, his voice cracking halfway. Seungmin hummed in acknowledgment before opening his eyes while leaning back. Changbin already missed Seungmin’s warmth close to him. </p><p>“We should head back before you’re missed”, the redhead reminded the vampire. Changbin hated how right the other was, but he was pleasantly surprised to see Seungmin reaching his arms out to him like he was waiting to be picked up like a bride. </p><p>Changbin showed a light smile before scooping Seungmin up again and running back to the rest of Stray Kids. They all seemed relieved when Changbin came out of the woods, putting Seungmin down near them. </p><p>“That was so out of nowhere. Warn us next time”, Felix huffed, crossing his arms over his chest while he puffed his cheeks. Changbin lightly chuckled at the ginger’s antics before he was distracted by Chan placing a hand on his shoulder. Changbin looked to his group leader, whose almost black eyes were filled with concern. </p><p>“Everything alright with you?”, he said while looking at Changbin and then Seungmin. Chan’s gaze always had a certain warmth and Changbin was pretty sure the wolf hybrid had some sort of hidden power, which let the ones around him feel at ease. It really was no surprise that Chan was kind of popular back at Miroh High, or at least knew a lot of people in general. </p><p>“Everything is fine, hyung”, Seungmin answered and Changbin nodded as confirmation. Chan seemed not be entirely convinced by the way he lightly raised his right brow, but he didn’t continue to ask. It was a relief to Changbin, who took a short breath, mentally readying himself to talk to them and say his goodbye properly. There was still this restricting feeling in his throat, but the vampire did his best to ignore it. </p><p>“I wanted to talk to you real quick before all of this starts”, Changbin started, having both a hard time to keep himself together and continue talking. The vampire could feel the attention of the others on him and he prayed internally to all known gods that this wouldn’t be the last time.</p><p>“We’ll see each other later”, the vampire said, basically using what Seungmin had told him. The first one to react to this was Byungho, who stood beside Chan now. The tall brunette showed a light smile.</p><p>“Of course”, the older male said, which was followed by a nod from Chan. Minho showed a light grin and Felix put an arm around Changbin’s shoulders. “Sure, we’ll see each other later”, the ginger said. </p><p>A weird sense of relief flooded Changbin’s system and he let a small smile crawl onto his lips. He had the hope that they would make it, despite his experience from his training telling him otherwise. </p><p>“You should hurry back now though”, Seungmin once again reminded the uncrowned vampire king. Changbin looked at Seungmin, who merely showed a lightly smile. It was somehow weird to see Seungmin optimistic, but it was pleasant nonetheless. </p><p>Changbin took off as soon as Felix pulled his arm off his shoulders. Now he had just one more thing to do, which was luckily not that hard. The vampire quickly scanned the crowd, which has assembled at the save point, for Jisung’s dark blue hair. He saw him standing near the group BTS and quickly made his way over to the warlock. </p><p>Without thinking much about his action, Changbin pulled Jisung into a hug, which made the warlock quietly squeal. The vampire just had to do that. After all, Jisung was his adoptive brother and he hadn’t said his goodbye to him either. </p><p>“Holy shit, hyung. You scared me”, Jisung cursed, before easing into the vampire’s embrace. Normally, Changbin would call the warlock out for cursing, but right now he didn’t have the time. <br/>“I just wanted to say ‘See you later’ to you”, Changbin said, letting Jisung slowly go. The warlock looked a bit confused before it seemed to dawn to him what the vampire meant.</p><p>“Of course, hyung. I will kick you if not”, Jisung exclaimed. Changbin lightly laughed at the other before ruffling his blue hair and taking off before the warlock could complain about the action. </p><p>Within the blink of an eyes Changbin stood among his vampire hyungs. Baekhyun looked at him for a moment before huffing and lightly shaking his head. Changbin made himself a bit smaller, knowing that Baekhyun wasn’t approving his action. </p><p>“Took your time, Binnie”, Changkyun mumbled from behind him and pulled the hood of the cloak over Changbin’s head. With his vision being significantly lessened by that action Changbin had a hard time interpreting Changkyun’s words, but he guessed that Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun hadn’t been thrilled about his sudden disappearance. </p><p>“I’m sorry, hyung”, Changbin mumbled in a low voice to not attract the action of his other vampire hyungs. He peeked up from underneath his hood, seeing Changkyun stand slightly before him with crossed arms. It made it hard to read his expression. </p><p>“Make up for it by focusing and showing Baekhyun that I trained you well”, Changkyun answered in a low voice. Changbin eagerly nodded, looking past Changkyun towards the small cliff, which lead down to the vale where the hunter’s headquarter was located. </p><p>Near the cliff stood Taeyong with Johnny by his side. The guardian seemed to look down the vale focusing on the little hut in it’s middle. </p><p>————————————————</p><p>Taeyong was so focused on the little hut down in the vale he didn’t hear Yuta approaching him, or noticed Johnny standing by his side. He could feel Jaehyun and Ten being near and he could feel their pain better than ever. If he hadn’t so many creatures behind him, who waited for his commands, he might just have thrown every little bit of cautious out the window and dashed down there in an foolish attempt to save his two soulmates. </p><p>“Taeyong?”, Johnny spoke up beside the red-haired guardian. The harpy looked at his partner with nothing but concern in his voice. To be fair Taeyong really didn’t look ready for this mission at all. He had dark bags under his eyes, which were covered by at least two layers of makeup, but this visible when you looked long enough, and Johnny knew that the other hadn’t been sleeping well ever since they started their search for Ten and Jaehyun. </p><p>The guardian slowly looked towards Johnny seeing not only the harpy but also Yuta standing beside him. His tired mind was awfully slow with working through any kind of information, but thanks to the careful planning Taeyong could remember the operation’s whole plan by heart. If  Yuta was here and ready, he had to give the signal to start the infiltration part of the mission. </p><p>“We’re ready when you are, hyung”, Jungwoo’s vice came from Taeyong’s other side. The guardian looked to his other side seeing both Jungwoo and Doyoung looking at him. In that moment, Taeyong was just really glad he didn’t have to do this on his  own. The guardian took a breath and forced his tired mind to focus. </p><p>“Is Changbin’s group ready?”, he asked looking back to Johnny and Yuta. Johnny nodded, but before he could open his mouth to say something someone else spoke up. Taeyong could feel  the presence of both J.Seph and Matthew behind him before he even saw the other guardians. </p><p>“We’re just waiting for you”, Matthew said, joining the five NCT members. His voice was colder and more serious than normally, but Taeyong knew how the blond guardian could switch from friendly to professional within a heartbeat. </p><p>J.Seph joined them silently. The brunette would later join them with his group, but for now he had another important task. He will be the main center of communication through his telepathic abilities. The leader of each group will be able to communicate with J.Seph and the other leaders through a mind link the brunette guardian created for the purpose of this mission.  </p><p>“Then let’s do this”, Taeyong said, looking at J.Seph. The brunette looked with sympathy at Taeyong. He laid his hand onto the shoulder of his fellow guardian and that was the moment Taeyong could see the other’s magic for a brief moment. </p><p>“Be careful”, J.Seph said, patting Taeyong’s shoulder before retreating his hand again. “We will be”, Taeyong answered, focusing once again on the hut in the vale. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, which should prevent Zendala from sensing them for some precious moments. The others of his group and also the vampires followed his example. </p><p>“Let’s go”, Taeyong said more to himself than the others and let his magic flow into the ground. Doyoung and Jungwoo automatically joined his side. Taeyong he took a big step forward and walked over the edge of the cliff. His magic kept him as well as Doyoung and Jungwoo afloat over the immediate ground and let them slide down comfortably. Yuta and Matthew had done the exact thing with the vampires and Johnny got down himself by using his wings.</p><p>They assembled again down in the vale with a good distance between them and the hut, which was the entrance to the hunter’s headquarter and also their way in. To get to the hut they would need to get past Zendala’s defenses first, which was the tricky part. The enchanted cloaks were made to keep attention away from the group, but it most certainly wasn’t equipped for breaking through barriers, but this was the whole reason they had Yuta with them. </p><p>The minute Yuta touched down on the ground and could dissolve the platform he had used to transport himself, Changbin, Baekhyun and Changkyun, he started to work on the barriers ahead of them. His magic seeped out of his hands and made its way towards the invisible barrier, which surrounded the hut. </p><p>Yuta’s magic was a deep violet, which cackled with power and seemed to immediately find Zendala’s barrier. Without any hesitation, Yuta’s magic began to pull Zendala’s magic aside, creating a hole. </p><p>It was moments like this, which made Taeyong glad that Yuta was on his side and a part of NCT. After all, he had a lot more talent than people could see at first glance. The sad thing was that for the most part they didn’t see his talent at all. </p><p>The hole in the barrier grew steadily until it was big enough for one person to fit through. Taeyong looked at Yuta, who was focused on his magic, but still noticed his leader looking at him. </p><p>“Go”, the warlock with the violet hair said. Without waiting any further, Taeyong walked towards the barrier and slipped through the hole, being careful about not touching Zendala’s magic. The last thing they wanted was to alarm the enemy. </p><p>As soon as he was within the barrier, Taeyong felt how his skin began to slowly burn. His gaze immediately flickered to his hands, but there was nothing there. For a moment, Taeyong feared that they had miscalculated and Zendala had way more than the incredibly barrier to protect the headquarter, but then he back began to ache in an almost familiar way. It was enough to tell Taeyong that this wasn’t his pain, it was Jaehyun and Ten’s. </p><p>The guardian’s gaze focused itself onto the hut and the urge to just dash towards his soulmates was even worse now. He could feel them being so close, he could feel their bond pulling him towards them, but he had to be patient and regulate himself to make no mistake. </p><p>Taeyong willed himself to look away from the hut and back to the members of his rescue party. Everyone had slipped through the barrier and the last one to do so was Yuta. The warlock dashed through the hole, which immediately closed itself after him. Yuta was slightly panting, but when he met Taeyong’s gaze he gave the other a nod as a sign to keep going. </p><p>The next step was getting into the headquarter without being seen, which was objectively the most difficult part of the whole operation since it would the determine the outcome of the whole mission. If they failed now, the only thing they could do was retreat and evacuate the groups waiting for their signal. </p><p>Taeyong took a deep breath and then looked towards the vampires, giving them nothing more than a mere nod. Within a heartbeat they had taken off, scouting the area with their supernatural speed until they ultimately arrived at the hut. Matthew stayed with Taeyong’s group for the time being. </p><p>“Everything seems to be clear”, Baekhyun’s voice echoed in Taeyong’s head. “There are no guards within the hut, but there seems to be no obvious entrance either”, the voice of Changbin followed Baekhyun’s. The vampires were the only group with two mind links. After all, the last thing the vampires could allow themselves was loosing their king. </p><p>Taeyong and his group advanced towards the hut. Yuta, Matthew and Taeyong tried to pay special attention to any sign of hidden magic, but there was nothing there. It was awfully easy to get to this hut. </p><p>When Taeyong’s group arrived at the hut, there was still no sign of any additional magic. Did Zendala really only put up the barrier for protection? </p><p>Taeyong mustered the hut, noting how awfully mundane it looked close up. No one would expect a three story underground headquarter being located under a little, wooden house in a forest. There were piles of cut wood on the side of the hut and a soft glow was emitting from the widows despite the little house being empty. The whole aura it was creating was far from scary or dangerous and Taeyong could see no souls except the ones of his group members, which wasn’t a guarantee anyway since the hunters were invisible to even Taeyong all thanks to their crystals. The safest option was to scan the whole hut and what was immediately underneath it. </p><p>Slowly Taeyong let his magic seep from his hands. His magic was a deep scarlet red, which was also the color of his soul. Over the years of living with his ability to see souls and their various colors, he had noticed that the color of the soul of a magical creatures was identical with the color of their magic. Yuta, whose magic had the color violet, had a violet soul. He shared the color with Sicheng since they were soulmates. </p><p>Taeyong’s scarlet red magic began to work itself into the ground and towards the hut. He couldn’t feel any type of resistance, meaning the hut was really as harmless as it had seemed. The magic of the red haired guardian was soon met with Yuta’s and Matthew’s, who had apparently decided to help Taeyong out. </p><p>Even with the help of Matthew and Yuta, Taeyong couldn’t feel any kind of connection between the hut and the headquarter underneath. Had they got false information? No, that couldn’t be. He felt Ten and Jaehyun being so near. They had to be in the right place. </p><p>“Got it”, Yuta suddenly mumbled. Taeyong’s head snapped towards his fellow group member, who stood still beside Doyoung and Jungwoo. His eyes were closed and his hands hovered in front of him, letting more and more magic seep into the ground. </p><p>“We can’t see it because it’s hidden by faint magic. It’s barely noticeable”, Yuta went on and opened his eyes again. He walked towards the hut without any hesitation and laid his hand onto the hut’s door. </p><p>“The whole thing is like a portal mixed with an illusion and rounded up with an identification and magic repression spell. It probably took Zendala ages to web all of those together and make them almost impossible to detect”, the warlock ended and looked at his group members and the vampires, who had joined them again.  </p><p>“I can trick the spells to get us in, but you’ll have to take care of the guards if there are any”, Yuta said, receiving a nod from both all the group members. Yuta’s gaze then wandered to Taeyong and the red haired guardian was reminded of the fact that Yuta may be a magical genius, but he was the most loyal person he had ever met. The warlock had been against a mission, which would involve the younger members of NCT or younger members of groups in general, but he still gave it his all to make the operation possible. No matter the situation, or how much he disagreed with something, Yuta would always be there for his group members and help them to the best of his abilities because it was just who he has always been. </p><p>Taeyong let his magic, which was still in the ground, dissolve and readied himself for a quick fight with some guards. If Yuta was giving his very best, he owned it to everyone, who had put their trust in Taeyong as the one leading the operation, to give his damn best. It didn’t matter if his body and mind was weakened. He had to do this for his group, for Ten and Jaehyun, for himself. </p><p>“Do it”, the red haired guardian said to Yuta. The warlock nodded again and put his focus on the door in front of him. He let his magic run wild and covered the door no time. The door glowed in the violet light of Yuta’s magic and Taeyong could feel how the illusion, which covered the hut began to flicker. It took Yuta a moment to uncover the little white portal, which had been hidden in the hut.  </p><p>“Go”, Yuta said firmly. Without hesitation Taeyong took off, running directly into the door. He slipped through Yuta’s magic and could feel and see his surroundings change rapidly until he stood in the middle of an white corridor. The instant his sense caught up with him the guardian could hear two voices echo in the corridor. Two guards were coming his way, but they hadn’t noticed the guardian’s presence yet. </p><p>Taeyong quickly checked if he could feel any sort of magic around him before he casted an attack spell, which would knock the two guards out immediately. His hands glowed in an intense red light as he advanced, setting his feet down as quietly as possible. The sound of the hunters’ chatter got louder and louder the closer Taeyong got to the first corner. There was no switch in the hunters’ conversation tone, meaning they were still oblivious to Taeyong’s presence. </p><p>The second the hunters turned on the corner and coming into Taeyong’s view, the guardian let the magic in his hands loose. Balls of red light formed themselves under Taeyong’s open palms, zapped forward with lighting speed. The guards were taken by surprise and hit on the head simultaneously, which  knocked them out cold. Before they could fall onto the ground unconsciously, Taeyong dashed forward, grabbed them by their collars and put them down slowly. The guardian was careful to not touch the hunters’ crystals, which were dangling around their necks, but he could still feel the faint effect it had on him.</p><p>“Good reaction, Taeyong”, he could hear Baekhyun over the mind link. Taeyong looked over his shoulder to see the vampires and his own group standing in the corridor. He hadn’t noticed their arrival since he had been so focused on the two approaching hunters. Baekhyun showed Taeyong a light grin, but the guardian was convinced the older vampire had only said something over the mind link to get Taeyong to look back and check if they were there. </p><p>The guardian nodded in acknowledgment and focused back on the hunters. He quickly ripped of their necklaces, mumbled a quick illusion spell, so they weren’t discovered so easily, and quickly put the necklaces into the pocket integrated into his cloak before he stood up. </p><p>Johnny quickly walked over to Taeyong, joining his side again. The gesture made the guardian worry if he really seemed so weak for Johnny to feel the need to be by his side constantly, or if it was just the harpy being a generally worried boyfriend. Both option could apply if Taeyong was honest with himself. </p><p>The group quickly continued onward with Matthew and the vampires leading. Doyoung kept the group updated on the hunters’ movements with his echolocation and also briefly reported his impressions. </p><p>The group was currently on the first floor, which wasn’t really crowded with hunters according to Doyoung. Still, there were a lot more hunters than they had thought. Until now they could only estimate how many hunters there were, but it was definitely a lot more than anticipated. No wonder they managed to run the vampire palace over like it was nothing, mark down a lot of loss and still take on the moon pack. </p><p>It was also weird how awfully similar the hunter’s headquarter was to the one of NCT despite being a bit smaller and a lot less modified with magic. While sneaking through the headquarter the group could also faintly hear the noises of combat training from somewhere. </p><p>Thanks to Doyoung’s ability to warn the group of potential threat with his echolocation, Jungwoo’s special voices as a merman, the vampires’ quick reactions and the strong magic of Yuta, Taeyong and Matthew, the group of twelve managed to get down to the second floor without setting off any alarms or alert any hunters. All the hunters they had come across were quickly taken out, stripped of their crystals and hidden by illusions. Any kind of technology they came across was bewitched by Yuta to ensure they weren’t discovered by it either. </p><p>The different floors of the headquarter were connected by a staircase, which has been enchanted by Zendala too. It was a simple identification spell paired with a protection spell, which didn’t take too much effort to get past since they were very weak and according to Yuta sloppily combined. To get down to the second floor they just had to walk down one corridor without having to make any sort of turns, which seemed easier than it was. </p><p>Even without having the ability to use echolocation like Doyoung, you could tell how the second floor of the hunter’s headquarter was buzzing with life. The group had to hide near the staircase which lead them down in order to figure out how they could continue on.</p><p>“There are hunters just everywhere”, Doyoung mumbled to his group members after having clicked his tongue to use his echolocation. “I can’t distract all of them at once”, Jungwoo noted in a small voice. His gaze was focused on the ground and he seemed to say those words more to himself than the members of his rescue party. Taeyong glanced at his group member sympathetically.</p><p>Mermen and Mermaids had the ability to distract people and other living creatures with their voices. It was a mechanism they had used to hunt in the ancient days. Some people often mistook this ability for being from sirens, but sirens didn’t want to distract their prey they wanted to lure it in, or confuse it through hallucinations. </p><p>Taeyong had chosen Jungwoo for this mission because he wanted the distracting effect of the voice of a mermen or mermaid, but he also wanted to have a reason to not take Mark with him. Mark was personally too close to this situation since his family had been killed by hunters some years ago. He had already proven to be sensitive about hunters and their beliefs when he interrogated the huntress Emily. </p><p>“We might not need to distract all of them. Only a few”, the quiet voice of Changbin ripped Taeyong out of his thoughts and focus on the young vampire king. “What if we quickly set up an illusion in the corridor we need to pass and let Jungwoo use his voice to lead the hunters attention in that area away from us, so even when the illusion breaks through their crystals we would have a bit more time to react and get away because of Jungwoo and the enchanted cloaks. We could also make use of the supernatural of the vampires to pass more quickly. We would pass them in a flash with them being distracted by an illusion and Jungwoo’s voice”, the young vampire explained his plan. </p><p>It took a moment for Taeyong to comprehend what Changbin had just said. When he did he couldn’t help but blink in surprise. The young male had just used all the information given to him about the situation and the abilities of his group mates to craft a plan that was simple yet effect and probably the safest option they had. </p><p>“It could work”, Matthew agreed quietly with the young vampire. Taeyong nodded in agreement before he looked at Yuta. The warlock had crossed his arms over his chest and had focused his gaze on the ground before him while he seemed to weighing their options. His expression was unreadable to the point where Taeyong couldn’t tell if he was thinking about a different option, of if he was going through Changbin’s plan in his head.</p><p>“Let’s do it”, Yuta then agreed, raising his gaze. “As far as I can see it’s the safest option we have right now”, the warlock added. Somehow Taeyong was glad that the other agreed with him despite never having voiced his opinion.The guardian then shifted his focus onto a certain blond merman. “Can you do it?”, he asked Jungwoo using a softer tone. The merman nodded.  </p><p>With that, they brought Changbin’s plan into motion. Yuta, Matthew and Taeyong used their combined magic to set up a quick but as strong as possible illusion. Jungwoo was letting himself be carried on Changbin’s back while Chanyeol carried Johnny and Dowoon Doyoung. Baekhyun, Changkyun and Sehun would quickly pick up Yuta, Matthew and Taeyong when they finished setting up the illusion. </p><p>Jungwoo started to hum when Yuta gave him the signal that they were almost done. The merman’s humming seemed to be carried evenly through the corridor and no hunter seemed to actively notice it. They were only paying much less attention to their surroundings now. Taeyong could see that in the way the souls bump into each other and then stay still for what was probably a small chat. </p><p>The guardian with the red hair could feel how Yuta was slowly finishing up the illusion and got ready to give Baekhyun and Changbin the signal through the mind link. The second the illusion was set and finished a “Go” from Taeyong echoed through the mind link. </p><p>In a flash Taeyong was swept off his feet and carried somewhere else in an unnatural speed. The surroundings seemed to blur together and the guardian could feel a mild wind tousling through his hair despite knowing that there couldn’t be any wind in here. </p><p>Changbin’s plan was over within a heartbeat and Taeyong found himself in yet another staircase. Sehun set Taeyong down gently and he could hear Jungwoo stop his humming. He could feel again buying, which made his blood run cold until he saw the soothing violet glow of Yuta’s magic, who was probably setting up another illusion just to be safe. Maybe he was also scanning the area simultaneously. </p><p>In the corner of his eyes Taeyong also saw Changkyun ruffling through Changbin’s hair as a form of silently praise. The guardian had to admit that Changbin will surely be a great king to the vampires and he was glad that he could get to know the young vampire a little bit. </p><p>A sudden bang in his chest knocked all the air out of Taeyong’s lungs. His hand immediately came up to his chest but there was nothing. He couldn’t even feel any sort of magic that could have caused it. Within a flash, his back started to burn and he could feel two gigantic slits, which reached from his shoulder blades down to his lower back. It felt like someone had slashed down his back with two daggers. </p><p>“Taeyong”, the worried voice of Johnny reminded the guardian of the fact that he wasn’t alone. Taeyong looked over to the harpy, who was quick to join his side. His brown orbs scanned the red haired male’s body for any type of injury only to come to the same conclusion as Taeyong. There were non. </p><p>When Taeyong wanted to open his mouth to tell Johnny that it was going to be fine, a wave of excruciating pain seemed to hit him. He felt his skin burn like someone had pushed him into embers. The only reason he kept himself from making any kind of loud noise was that he was biting down on his tongue drawing blood. He could taste the metal in his blood, but tried his hardest not to focus on it. </p><p>“We need to get to the third floor, get our reinforcements and then hurry to Ten and Jaehyun”, Johnny spoke up again, having turned his head towards the rest of the group, whose attention had fallen on Taeyong automatically. The red-haired guardian wished he could have told them that he was going to be fine, but that this point he wasn’t sure anymore. </p><p>Johnny slipped Taeyong’s right arm over his shoulders, helping the guardian stand. It was a miracle that he had managed to stay up right while feeling this much pain. </p><p>Taeyong let himself lean against Johnny, trying his very best to not seem as miserable as he felt. The pain was slowly becoming less, which was one of the signs of it clearly not being his own. </p><p>At this point he couldn’t imagine what kind of agony Ten and Jaehyun must be feeling, but it was soon overpowered by the need to just get them out of here and to safety.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0081"><h2>81. Lost Wings and memory lights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin notices Taeyong’s odd behavior and discovers the why.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin stayed close to Changkyun and Baekhyun as they walked down the stairs to the third and, as far as they know, last floor of the hunter headquarter. Chanyeol and Sehun walked in front with Dowoon, Doyoung and Matthew following them close behind. Taeyong, Johnny, Yuta and Jungwoo walked close behind Changbin. </p><p>Despite not seeing Taeyong, Changbin knew that the guardian was relying on Johnny to support him. The young, uncrowned vampire king was entirely sure what was wrong with Taeyong, but he assumed it had something to do with Ten and Jaehyun somehow. If that was the case maybe Taeyong’s exhausted state wasn’t to blame on overworking. Still, Changbin could only guess with the little information he had at the moment. </p><p>When the group reached the bottom of the staircase, Chanyeol raised his hand, signaling the others to wait. Doyoung walked up to the tall vampire, standing beside him for a short moment and using his echolocation by just clicking his tongue once and then listening carefully.</p><p>Changbin knew that the ability of echolocation was something difficult to achieve even for a creature like a banshee, whose abilities all relied on their voice. After all, you needed good hearing for it and train it over years. </p><p>This reminded Changbin of the first time he had seen Doyoung. It was after he had encountered a hunter for a the first time and ran away with Felix to protect the other. Back then Changbin had no clue of Doyoung being able to use echolocation. The banshee had probably found them because of this ability along with Kun’s werewolf nose. </p><p>“There some people down here, but not too many. I guess they’re guards. Nobody of the them seem to head our way right now”, Doyoung whispered, gaining everyone’s attention. It was good that no one was heading their way, so they would maybe be able to find a safe spot to get the reinforcements in here sooner than they had anticipated. Still, before they could call the reinforcements Taeyong had to confirm that there were more than two prisoners here. </p><p>“I can see the souls of other creatures. We were right about not only Jaehyun and Ten being held captive here”, Taeyong spoke up, shortly after Doyoung finished. This meant that there had to be vampires of the royal palace here too. Hopefully, the cat hybrids of the Sky Clan and Felix and Minho’s parents were down here as well. </p><p>Changbin could feel his finger itching with the want to do something useful. Beside his plan of how to get through the second floor of the headquarter without being seen, Changbin hasn’t done much except being obviously shielded by his vampire hyungs. He knew they were just doing what they thought was good for him, but he felt entirely useless just watching them skillfully take out their opponents with quick, coordinated movements. </p><p>“We should get going and not linger here for too long. We need to find a good place for Yuta to set up a link to the others so they can get in here without with portals without Zendala noticing”, Johnny spoke up. Changbin looked over to the tall harpy, who also had been his English teacher for two years. The young vampire had never imagined that his English professor was a good fighter and part of an group like NCT, but here he was working on a mission alongside him.</p><p>“Let’s go then”, Baekhyun agreed with Johnny. Changbin could feel Baekhyun’s hand on his back for a brief moment. It was something, which had recurrent a lot ever since the mission started and Changbin didn’t know what to make of it, but he obliged nonetheless. </p><p>The group started to move again and Changbin remained in the protected middle like he had throughout the whole mission. Baekhyun moved to the front to Chanyeol, Sehun and Doyoung, who continued to lead the group through the maze of corridors, which was oddly familiar to Changbin after all the training and memorizing of the headquarter’s map. </p><p>When Baekhyun was up front besides Chanyeol, Sehun and Dowoon fell back a little to be closer to Changbin. It was a system Changbin had observed over the course of the mission. The only one, who alway stuck close to him no matter what was Changkyun, but he had been made aware of that beforehand.   </p><p>Through the mind link, Changbin could hear Taeyong giving information on the things he could see, which Baekhyun probably took into consideration while running up front. It was probably the whole reason Baekhyun had changed his position. </p><p>“There at least two more souls- ... Wait, Baekhyun turn right”, Taeyong’s voice echoed though Changbin’s head again. It sounded monotone at first, but then the guardian’s voice got an almost panicked undertone. It made Changbin’s stomach cramp with an uneasy feeling. What had Taeyong seen for him to react like that? </p><p>Baekhyun did as he was instructed by Taeyong and the group followed his lead almost naturally. The group moved swiftly and quietly, not attracting any attention from any hunters. At least Changbin thought that until Doyoung quietly clicked his tongue twice, which he tended to do when he noticed something potentially dangerous. Sometimes nothing happened afterwards, but most of the time he warned the others of hunters shortly after it. </p><p>“Four hunters ahead at the little crossing. Two in the right and two in the left corridor”, Doyoung mumbled quietly, proofing Changbin’s little theory. Changbin could see Matthew casting a spell in the corner of his eyes and in the next moment, Sehun, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Dowoon had dashed forward in their supernatural speed. Sehun and Dowoon turned on the left corner while Chanyeol and Baekhyun ran around the right one. A dull thumbing sound was hear and it was silent once more. </p><p>When the rest of the group arrived at the crossing, everything was already over. Sehun and Baekhyun held two crystals each on the necklaces they were attached to handing them to Matthew, who pocketed the crystals in the little pocket in his cloak. </p><p>The magical creatures were the one who had pocketed all the crystals of the hunters they had taken out despite being at risk of loosing their magic because of them. Changbin’s guess was that it was a precaution for the cloaks. After all, Taeyong, Matthew and Yuta could renew the spells on the cloaks while the non magical creatures obviously couldn’t. </p><p>Matthew and Yuta stepped forward, quickly casting an illusion and probably another spell to keep them put over the unconscious hunters, so they wouldn’t be found as easily. Changbin had to admit that it was an easy yet affective method for hiding them. The probability of them being discovered like that was lowered, but not nullified despite Yuta’s research on the effects of the crystals on magic.</p><p>Changbin would probably have continued to watch Matthew and Yuta work if Taeyong didn’t run past him, turning right and walking down the corridor like he had a certain goal. The guardian was quickly followed by Johnny and Jungwoo. </p><p>A quick glance to Changkyun confirmed that Changkyun had no clue what Taeyong could have seen ether. It was obvious that it must be something important, which let Changbin follow him without much thought. Changkyun was of course right beside him and soon join by the others. </p><p>Taeyong turned sharply at another corner and out of Changbin’s sight for a brief moment. A strong pulse of energy could be felt in the air and Changbin noticed the quick lighting up for red magic. Had Taeyong just casted a spell? </p><p>The young vampire used a bit of his supernatural speed to go after Taeyong quicker and soon reached the guardian, who had stopped in front of a grey, thick, metal door with two other hunters laying to his feet. Johnny and Jungwoo stood close to their leader. </p><p>Changbin came to a halt not far behind them and noticed Johnny had his hand on Taeyong’s shoulder. The harpy’s grip seemed to be firm yet gentle. The guardian’s gaze was entirely focused onto the door in front of him. He was staring at it with a mix of desperation and fear on his face. </p><p>Yuta quickly walked past Changbin towards Taeyong and the door. He was quick to use his magic on it and looked towards Johnny for a brief moment only to nod and focus on the door again. Changbin was a bit confused about the interaction between the warlock with the violet hair and his English teacher, but he focused on what Yuta was doing to the door. </p><p>The violet magic of Yuta seemed to mix with something that was a very dark shade of blue. It seemed almost black and Changbin guessed that this was Zendala’s magic. Without too much effort Yuta seemed to be able to nullify or at least deactivate Zendala’s magic, which Changbin hoped was a good signed, but he couldn’t be sure. His magical knowledge was limited to theory and Nakamoto Yuta was more of a practical magic user than a theoretical one. </p><p>The second Yuta was done with working on Zendala’s magic, Taeyong freed himself from Johnny’s grip and walked another step closer to the door. His hand was hovering over the handle, but he hesitated for a brief moment before pushing it down and pulling the thick, metal door open. </p><p>Changbin could feel a knot forming in his stomach when he saw Taeyong’s blue eyes fill themselves with nothing but sheer horror. The guardian’s breath hitched, but within a heartbeat he was inside the room and out of Changbin’s sight. Johnny followed the guardian without hesitation while Jungwoo remained behind, just staring ahead with his hands covering his mouth. </p><p>Driven by a strange mix of curiosity and dread Changbin walked a bit closer to the door to see inside, only to be pulled back by his shoulders. Changbin would have turned around and slapped the hands on his shoulders away out of pure instinct and reflex if he wouldn’t know Changkyun’s grip so well.</p><p>“We have different things to worry about”, the older vampire mumbled next to Changbin. For a moment Changbin felt a bit of anger pulse through him. He wanted to snap at the older and say how this was important to the vampires too until he caught a glimpse of the worry and bit of dread in Changkyun’s black eyes.</p><p>It was the moment a stinging scent reached Changbin’s nostrils, filling his smelling sense with the stench of old blood. It was something the young vampire prince only now noticed, which suggested that this awful smell had been trapped in that room and it also made another thing very clear. </p><p>Whatever was in that room, whoever was in that room, Changkyun didn’t want Changbin to see it or them. Despite his weird curiosity from beforehand, Changbin now realized that he really didn’t want to know what sight was in that room. </p><p>“We should probably get going. Yuta will create the link here and get the reinforcements. In the meanwhile he we can already start searching on our own”, Baekhyun spoke up on Changbin’s other side. The young vampire king let himself be pulled out of his thoughts and looked at the older male. Baekhyun was already gazing at him, waiting for his response. </p><p>It took Changbin a short moment to catch up, but then he nodded in agreement. They had to save every creature that was down here and after that they would take care of Zendala if given the chance. </p><p>Changbin focused on Baekhyun again, knowing that the best person to lead now was the experienced royal guard due the fact that he had listened to Taeyong’s observations beforehand. If someone could quickly find another cell with prisoners. It was Baekhyun. </p><p>“Take the lead, hyung”, Changbin said, earning a nod from Baekhyun. With that the royal guard took off, closely followed by Changbin, the other vampires and Matthew. </p><p>If this mission succeeded the hunters would loose a part of the advantage they had so far, and Changbin dearly hoped the operation would continue as smoothly as it has been until now. </p><p>———————————</p><p>The sight in the room was a horrendous one and could only be evidence of the doing of a monster. On the ground were six lifeless bodies, covered in blood both old and new. The foul stench was attacking even the most dull senses and the pure sight of the brutally murdered victims would let everyone look away. Still, the most brutal part about this was that the corpses of both vampires and cat hybrids seemed young, too young to be unmoving and lifeless. </p><p>Despite the horrific scene before him, Taeyong’s main focus laid upon the two creatures, who still had a sound within their bodies. Ten was chained to a metal chair, which faced the door, by his wrists and ankles. His head was hanging low and his wings had dropped down in a weird angle. He wasn’t moving, but at first glance he didn’t seem to have any life threatening or even deep injuries. It was a relief, but only for a very brief moment. <br/>Taeyong’s focus shifted to the side where he could sense Jaehyun’s souls and only then did he realize the true horror his two group mates had been through in the last two weeks. Something dropped into the pit of his stomach and he could feel very fiber of his body beginning to ache. </p><p>Jaehyun was chained to the wall opposite of Ten. At the first glance, Taeyong wasn’t sure if it even was Jaehyun. The Demi-dragon, who usually seemed confident, composed and focused on the task at hand, was made almost unrecognizable by bruises and cuts, but most importantly the missing of his black dragon wings.</p><p>Slowly Taeyong’s eyes dropped down from Jaehyun onto the floor where he could see the remains of what were once Jaehyun’s might and beautiful, black dragon wings. This was the moment the red haired guardian began to feel sick to the point he wasn’t sure if he could move one muscle without throwing up. Maybe he would have stood in the middle of the torture room unmoving for a while if it wasn’t for the manifestation of anger that walked past him and directed his attention away from Jaehyun’s rotting wings. </p><p>Johnny had walked past Taeyong towards Jaehyun. His scarlet red aura was pulsing with wrath, but he remained composed. It threw Taeyong back to the moment Johnny had told him how the only reason he wasn’t giving into his anger was Taeyong’s mere presence, but right now the red haired guardian doubted that the harpy could hold back his wrath if they came across a hunter, or worse Zendala. </p><p>“Taeyong, Johnny”, Taeyong’s focus snapped to the chained Ten when he heard the Demi-dragon’s weak voice. Ten had raised his head slightly, looking up at Taeyong with his bronze eyes. Within the bronze orbs Taeyong only saw hope and relief and within a second tears. It was more than enough for Taeyong’s mind switch to autopilot and pure instinct.  </p><p>Within heartbeats Taeyong was kneeling in front of Ten, using his magic to rip the chains off him. The metal cracked under the pressure of Taeyong’s magic within heartbeats, ultimately falling to the ground with a clonk. Without hesitation, Taeyong pulled Ten against him the second the chains were gone. </p><p>Ten’s body felt cold and weak against Taeyong’s, however, the guardian couldn’t help but feel relieved that he could hold the other. The demi-dragon was weakly wrapping his arms around Taeyong’s upper body, burying his face in the guardian’s neck letting only soft whimpers escape him while his body lightly shook. </p><p>Taeyong’s eyes began to sting uncomfortably, but he didn’t allow himself to cry. He had to make sure Ten and Jaehyun were safe and then he had to save as many other creatures as he could before taking on Zendala.</p><p>With Ten still close to his chest, Taeyong looked over his shoulder back to the rest of his group. Yuta had entered the room too. The warlock was standing in the room with his eyes close while he seemed to mumble to himself. His hands glowed, but Taeyong couldn’t really feel the other’s magic until a magical wave emitted from Yuta, covering the room in violet light for a brief moment. The six corpses seemed to glow for a short moment before they began to fade, being slowly morphed into something Taeyong liked to call “memory light” since all that was left of a corpse after casting this spell was a little ball of light in the color of the soul of the dead person. </p><p>The “memory light” spell was the creation of him and Yuta. They came up with it because of Taeyong’s ability to see souls despite the guardian being unable to see any sort of soul in a dead person. The memory light contained all the memories and last thoughts of a person and could be taken to the dead’s loved ones to bury instead of a corpse. </p><p>Yuta reopened his eyes and let his shoulders slump lightly before he bend down to collect the memory lights. He carefully put them in an another empty pocket on the inner side of his cloak before he looked over to Taeyong and Ten. In the dark grey eyes of the warlock shimmered a bit of exhaustion but a lot more determination. Through the course of this mission, Yuta had been putting up with a lot for the sake of his leader and he was still the main magical user of the little rescue party despite Taeyong being a guardian, a naturally resourceful and powerful magical creature. There was no way Taeyong could ever properly repay Yuta for everything he had done today.</p><p>“We should get them out and the others in here. The vampires already took off to find other prisoners”, Yuta said in a soft voice, ripping Taeyong out of his thoughts. The guardian focused on the warlock again and nodded lightly before he looked back to Ten. </p><p>The Demi-dragon had gone quiet, but Taeyong could still feel him breath and the faint heartbeat of the other. The guardian carefully readjusted his arms, so he could pick the Demi-dragon up. With one arm wrapped around Ten’s torso and the other under his knees, Taeyong stood up again. Ten was still weakly holding onto him, but he had passed out at one point. The demi-dragon was unusually light, despite him having never been heavy in the first place. </p><p>Taeyong turned around facing Johnny, who was holding Jaehyun in his arms. The harpy’s focus was on the half-dead Demi-dragon in his arms. In his brown eyes was nothing but pain and regret while his aura still pulsed with anger. This anger was fueled by the pain and regret, yet Johnny’s gaze couldn’t be described as furious or even revengeful. Taeyong knew that right now Johnny’s fury was covered by the very thing they both regretted. They regretted having never told Jaehyun anything about their feelings, their special bond; they regretted waiting for the “right” moment to tell him. </p><p>The red-haired guardian had to bite his lips in order to not visibly react to Jaehyun’s current state, Johnny’s regretful gaze and let all of his own regrets fill his mind. He promised himself to make sure that Jaehyun and Ten hadn’t suffered for nothing and that this mission would be a success no matter what. </p><p>Feeling Yuta’s magic, made Taeyong’s gaze pull away from Johnny and Jaehyun and focus on the warlock, who was setting up the portal link, so the others could join them down here without being detected by Zendala. The warlock was standing in front of the back wall of the room, creating a swirl of violet magic which looked like a portal, but Taeyong knew he was basically over writing Zendala’s whole magic system. The violet light emitting from the small swirl of magic that was forming itself in midair in front of Yuta was still as powerful as at the start of the mission. </p><p>“We’ll keep watch here until you return with the others”, Doyoung’s voice let Taeyong look to the entrance of the room. Doyoung and Jungwoo stood there, holding hands. They had entered the room probably to attract less attention towards them, but Taeyong hadn’t noticed them enter at all. </p><p>“Hyung. Maybe let Taeil-hyung and Haechan switch position, so he can heal them”, Jungwoo suggested, having his gaze focused on Johnny and Jaehyun. Taeyong looked at the merman, who seemed pale and frightened, but still spoke with an unwavering voice. His suggestion was a good one despite the thought of Haechan having to fight hunters not sitting entirely well with him. They maybe needed a healer, who could do more than first aid, more than they had initially thought.   </p><p>Taeyong nodded at the others suggestion. He didn’t dare to speak for now, because he didn’t fully trust his voice just yet. </p><p>“It’s ready”, Yuta spoke up, directing Taeyong’s attention towards the warlock and the portal he was standing in front. They could get back to the safe point now and come back with the reinforcements. </p><p>Taeyong walked over to Yuta, closely followed by Johnny. The guardian stepped through the portal, feeling Yuta’s magic surround him for a moment before he was met with the darkness of the night and the sight of a forest opening filled with supernaturals. </p><p>When Taeyong stepped out of the portal closely followed by Johnny, he could see immediate movement among the people and within heartbeats Taeil followed by Renjun, Winwin but also YangYang came into sight. YangYang was quick to brush past everyone and quickly approaching Taeyong, who was still holding Ten. The eyes of the young wing mage were wide and his mouth was slightly opened, but he said nothing. </p><p>“Bring them over there”, Taeil spoke up pointing into a certain direction. Taeyong assumed it was the direction of the medic camp Taeil had set up with Winwin and Renjun, but he wasn’t sure since he couldn’t see much in the dark. Winwin was leading Johnny, who was still carrying Jaehyun, away while Taeil came up to Taeyong. The other guardian gently nudging YangYang to the side and into the reach of Renjun, who tugged the young wind mage completely out of the way. </p><p>“Let me take care of Ten and give command to the other groups before they get nervous”, Taeil whispered in a low voice, gently putting his arms beside Taeyong’s to take Ten out of his hold. For a brief moment Taeyong hesitated, but then he reminded himself that the last thing Taeil was going to do was hurt Ten. It also reminded Taeyong of Jungwoo’s suggestion. </p><p>“Do you think you can switch position with Donghyuck?”, Taeyong asked when Taeil readjusted Ten in his arms. The guardian with the black hair looked at Taeyong for a short moment before he nodded in agreement. </p><p>“It would make Mark the leader of group”, the other guardian added, which for a moment didn’t sit well with Taeyong. Taeil was part of the group with Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, Haechan and Mark. Haechan was the one, who should stay back, while Taeil would have gone into the headquarter as the leader of the group. With Taeil switching position with Haechan, Mark would be the oldest and most experienced in the group that was heading into enemy territory and basically the best one to be the leader and have a mind link. Still, Taeyong had the feeling that Mark’s personal problem with the hunters could cloud his judgement a lot.</p><p>Taeyong shook his head for a short moment, ripping himself out of his head and focusing back on Taeil. They had to make this change. For one last time Taeyong looked down at Ten and then took a quick breath.</p><p>“I will let J.Seph know. Let Mark know”, Taeyong said in a surprising solid voice and Taeil nodded. Without further delay, Taeyong turned his back to Taeil heading to the main crowd of creatures. The leaders of each group had already stepped forward. J.Seph joined Taeyong’s side when the red-haired guardian reached the main crowd.</p><p>“For NCT Dream, create a mind link with Mark and not Taeil. There has been a minor change in the plan concerning the medical support. We need Taeil here” Taeyong informed the other guardian in a quiet voice before he turned to the main crowd. He took a breath readying himself for giving the final command. </p><p>“When you walk through the portal you will find yourself in a small room with Kim Jungwoo, Kim Doyoung and Nakamoto Yuta, three members from my group. Should this not be case something has gone wrong and the leader needs to immediately report it. With that said the first group can follow me”, Taeyong instructed. Without hesitation Jaebum of the GOT7 group stepped forward with his group following behind him except for Youngjae, who would stay back. </p><p>Jaebum received the mind link from J.Seph and then looked at Taeyong like he was asking the other to take the lead. Taeyong nodded and walked back to the portal with the GOT7 group following behind him. </p><p>With one last glance into the direction where he assumed the medical camp should be, he stepped through the portal letting himself get take back into the headquarter of the enemy. Now, he just had to save the remaining prisoners and hunt down Zendala.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0082"><h2>82. Tunnel vision</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minho has a bit of a problem with being too focused while fighting.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Minho could hear the drumming of his heart in his chest when Byungho walked towards J.Seph to receive his mind link. Byungho may not be the leader of Stray Kids, but he was the one, who didn’t loose the ability to talk like a human in the middle of a fight. Not being able to speak human words while being a wolf was literally the only thing that kept Chan from being the one with the mind link. After all, he was still the group’s leader, Byungho was just the one responsible for the mind link stuff. </p><p>J.Seph laid his hand onto Byungho’s head for a brief moment, but it felt like and eternity to Minho. The portal was right in front of them and they still had to wait to uphold an order. They were basically the last group to join the action and somehow it felt a lot longer than a minutes since Taeyong and GOT7 had disappeared into the swirl of violet magic. </p><p>Ever since Minho had gotten a glimpse of the two people Taeyong and Johnny brought out of the portal, all Minho could think about was finding his parents and hoping that they were luckier than the two severely injured NCT members. The cat hybrid could barely keep himself from pacing or shaking. His whole body burned with the desire to just dash forward, through the portal and begin the search. </p><p>At one point Felix had taken Minho’s hand, keeping close to him, but the older male barely registered it. His eyes were fixated on the portal not far in front of him and he had only been distracted by Jisung’s mop of dark blue hair once. It was the curse of his cat eyes that he could make out Jisung in this darkness. </p><p>The BTS group had entered the portal shortly after GOT7, closely followed by MonstaX, which left Jisung standing among some other magical creatures, which would stay back. Seungmin was probably among them too, but Minho didn’t keep track of the whereabouts of the redhead at the moment.</p><p>A movement in the corner of the cat hybrid’s vision, let Minho’s gaze focus back on Byungho and J.Seph. Byungho had turned back to look at his group, but the movement Minho had registered came from Chan, who had walked up to the brunette while shifting into his wolf form. </p><p>The grey wolf halted beside Byungho, turning his head back to the two Lee brothers. The dark orbs, which were the wolf’s eyes were calm, yet there was a hint of fear in them. Still, Chan tilted his head towards the portal, giving the signal to go. Without hesitation Minho nodded and with that the group passed J.Seph, barely registering the guardian wishing them good luck. </p><p>Byungho walked beside Byungho with Chan and Felix close behind them. In the the formation they had agreed on Byungho and Minho would be the forerunner with Chan and Felix trailing close behind them. This meant Byungho and Minho would decide in the direction they were heading most of the time. </p><p>The group halted for a brief moment in front of the gigantic portal. The unwavering swirling of pure magic had transported a lot of creatures into the headquarter already, but no one of them what was truly on the other side of that portal. </p><p>Minho looked at Byungho, whose gaze was trained on the portal before he walked through it without any hesitation. Assuming that it was save to go through Minho followed the brunette with Chan and Felix hot on his heels. </p><p>The magic of the portal began to surround Minho and for a short moment the cat hybrid got the feeling he could actually feel the strong magic the portal was made of. Before he could dwell on the feeling his nose was pierced with the smell of blood. It was a foul smell that filled Minho’s nostrils in no time, letting no other scent through. The cat hybrid had a hard time to not hold his nose in order to block out the scent. </p><p>The swirl of magic disappeared and Minho stepped into a small room just after Byungho. Minho felt like someone punched him in the gut when the stench of blood was followed by the smell of pure death. It made him nauseous and he had a hard time to keep it together. He bit down on his lower lip ever so slightly and forced himself to quickly observe the room. </p><p>Beside the four members of Stray Kids there were Taeyong, Yuta, Jungwoo and Doyoung and three other NCT members in the room. They seemed to stand guard until everyone was here. Yuta was watching and keeping up the portal while Jungwoo and Doyoung seemed to watch the room’s door. The only strange thing was that Taeyong’s eyes were trained on the wall next to the room’s door, which seemed rather pointless. </p><p>Without warning, Byungho started to move on his own and Minho felt his body move before his mind caught up. He deemed it to be a good thing that his body reacted before his mind did. Byungho quickly passed Jungwoo and Doyoung and ran into the corridor outside of the room. </p><p>Minho quickly looked around trying to orient himself as fast as possible. The walls were all white and everything looked basically the same. The cat hybrid was tempted to use his good to maybe get some clues on where to go, but he feared he would just catch up the scent of blood and death. </p><p>Byungho made a sharp turn at one corner, which let Minho assume that the other knew where they need to head. To him the white corridors they run through passed in a blur, but Byungho seemed to be sure of where to run. Maybe it was because he was given directions through the mind link, or because he memorize the map of the headquarter a lot better than Minho did. </p><p>A spark of something close to hope came to life in the cat hybrid’s chest. Maybe they would be able to find his parents without much trouble. They only needed to be alive now.  </p><p>Scratching sounds and yell echoing through the empty corridors pulled Minho back into reality. The cat hybrid speed up just a little bit, so he was running beside Byungho instead of slightly behind the other. Throwing every bit of fear and cautions out the window, Minho let part of his animal instincts take over. He sharpened his senses purposely to tell him what was going on. </p><p>He could pick up the noises of a fight, the scratching of claws and weapons on the floor and walls of the corridors along with the scent of fire. It was weird, but Minho recognized the fire’s scent. It was Leedo’s fire breath. </p><p>“It’s ONEUS fighting”, Minho quickly said to Byungho. “I suspected as much. Ravn asked for help. Taeyong said we’re the closest to them. He’s leading me”, the brunette answered, panting lightly from running. For a moment Minho was confused. How was Taeyong leading Byungho? Te cat hybrid quickly chased that question away and focused on the way ahead. </p><p>The fighting sound and smell of fire got more intense the closer the group got. Byungho made another sharp turn to the right and directly into the corridor with the fighting. </p><p>ONEUS was up against five hunters. Each member had their hand full with one hunter, which was a problem considering they needed to take the hunters out quickly to avoid alarming anyone. </p><p>Leedo was the one Minho immediately saw since the Demi-dragon with the gigantic white wings was hard to miss. He was constantly breathing fire to keep not one but three hunters at distance while they were constantly being attacked by Hwanwoong and Keonhee, landed a hit and then immediately retreated again. </p><p>The two magical creatures of ONEUS, whose names Minho couldn’t recall, were struggling with keeping the two hunters, who were penetrating them with attacks, at bay because their magic was broken again and again. Still, Minho could see how they also tried to keep the hunters purposely busy. It was mostly likely to keep them from running off and getting help. </p><p>Byungho mumbled a spell and Minho it was his signal to speed up even more. The cat hybrid speed forward and let his green cat eyes scan the hunter’s quickly for weaknesses before he decided to focus on the two hunters, who keep on attacking the two magical creatures. Both hunters had twin blades and kept on slicing through the magical creatures’ shields with ease. Their faces were both calm and scarily pulled up into a sadistic smile.</p><p>Minho ducked a bit, making himself a bit smaller to not immediately alarm the hunters and speed up even more, letting a bit more of his instincts take over. He could feel how his nails began to sharpen, becoming almost invisible claws.</p><p>Within heartbeats, Minho had rushed past ONEUS’s magical creatures and reached the hunters. For a split second, Minho could see the surprise flash in their eyes when he was just before them, breaking through their defenses by slipping through the gap between the two members of ONEUS. </p><p>Before the hunters could react to Minho, the cat hybrid jumped up, letting his sharpened nails rip off their necklaces with ease while leaving claw marks on their collarbones. Before Minho’s feet could touch the ground again, the hunters were unarmed by the combined effort of Chan, Felix and the two members of ONEUS. </p><p>A vine shot up right in front of Minho’s nose and wrapped itself tightly around both hunters, keeping them in place while their weapons dropped to the ground with an metallic clank. </p><p>The instant Minho knew this fight was over and his feet touched the ground again his eyes darted towards Leedo, who was still keeping three hunters at bay. Using the speed he still had, he dashed forward to help the demi-dragon and his two companions.</p><p>“Leedo, switch out”, Minho yelled, not caring about the hunters hearing him. Like he was struck by lightning, Leedo stopped his fire breath, taking just a little step to the side to give Minho a better view on the enemy. The three hunters were still shielding themselves with their weapons. Two had spears while the third was equipped with two daggers. They had probably made use of the power of their crystals to block Leedo’s fire, otherwise they would have burns by now. </p><p>The three hunters were only lowering their guard a little because of the sudden stop of the constant stream of fire, which had been penetrating their defenses. </p><p>Minho ducked down, trying to repeat the same thing he did with the other two hunters. The scratching noise of claws on the ground close behind him told him that Chan was close to him, covering his back. </p><p>In the corner of his eye Minho could also see Hwanwoong and Keonhee charging at the hunters anew. With a soft smirk on his lips, Minho let his vision focus on the two hunters, who were further away from Hwanwoong and Keonhee. It was one of the spear users and the one with the two daggers. </p><p>Just like he did before, Minho ducked away under the hunters’ defense, aiming for their necklaces. His green cat eyes were trained on the colored crystals around the necks. The second Minho felt the leather band of the necklaces underneath his fingernails, pain shot through his right side. </p><p>Without thinking about it, Minho pulled himself up in the air by the hunters’ shoulder, catapulting himself up in the air and ultimately kicking down on the hunters hard, sensing them flying forward. The cat hybrid landed behind the hunters, immediately turning around to see that Chan was holding one hunter, whose necklace Minho had ripped off, down while the other two were wrestled down by the three ONEUS members. Sure enough the vines from before shot up from the ground restricting the hunters. </p><p>Minho let a deep breath escape him, which shot pain through his whole right side. His breath hitched in his throat, almost not wanting to look at his right side. Carefully Minho looked down to his side seeing a cut there. Blood was dripping out of it, making Minho painfully aware of just how much the cut was burning, but he had no clue if the cut was deep or not. </p><p>“Hyung?”, Minho heard Felix call out unsure. Minho looked up to see his brother already scrambling towards him. His ice blue cat eyes were blown wide with fear when they dropped down to the cut at Minho’s side. The ginger came to a halt in front of his brother his eyes still trained on the cut until he abruptly wiped his head.</p><p>“Minho-hyung is hurt”, Felix called over his shoulder. Minho followed his younger brother’s gaze to Byungho, who was already running towards them. The brunette was soon joined by Chan, who got off the hunter he was holding down after making sure he would stay down.   </p><p>Minho could only blink stupidly at his group members having no clue what to do himself. Still, the question which swirled around his head was if he had been to slow to dodge the blow he took or if he wasn’t attentive enough. </p><p>“By all the gods, that’s why I told you to wait”, Byungho mumbled almost inaudible when he reached Minho. The brunette quickly let his hands hover over Minho’s wound and started to perform some kind of magic. Minho wasn’t really paying attention to what Byungho was doing, instead he pondered over the older’s words. Had Byungho called after him before he had dashed forward to help Leedo? Had he just not heard it? </p><p>Minho had to admit that he hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings and just focused on the enemy in front of him. Maybe that was his mistake all along. Even with his instincts, Minho’s whole attention had tunneled letting him only have one thing in mind. That thing was ripping the crystal off the hunters and getting them down fast. </p><p>“Goodness, hyung. You have to be more careful”, Felix voice ripped Minho out of his thoughts and let the green eyed cat hybrid look at his brother once more. Felix’s ice blue eyes shimmered with concern and fear. It slowly dawned to Minho that just minutes prior his attention had tunneled  so much he couldn’t recall noticing Felix behind behind him. The only one he noticed was Chan because the scratching of his wolffish claws on a tiled floor was not only familiar and a bit loud to his sensitive ears, but he had also made it a point to keep it in mind for the sake of their sneak attacks. </p><p>Minho lightly shook his head and forced part of his instincts down again, so he could think a bit clearer. He blinked a bit, letting his gaze dropping down to the wound Byungho was healing. It was merely stinging now and as far as he could see Byungho was doing a good job at healing it completely with the gold mist, which came out of his hands. He told himself that he was going to be fine and then he brought his eyes back up to face Felix. </p><p>“I will pay more attention next time”, Minho said in an surprisingly calm and neutral tone. Felix nodded, but he still seemed a bit worried. It was something Minho couldn’t change for now. </p><p>A flash of white in the corner of his vision let Minho’s eyes snap towards Leedo, who approached the group of four followed by one of the two magic users Minho couldn’t name. The unknown male had black hair and black eyes, which made him look almost ironically human. </p><p>“Everything alright with all of you?”, Leedo asked carefully, worry being evident in his black dragon eyes. Minho appreciate him asking, but as far as he could tell he was fine despite having receive a probably deep cut on his side for a dagger.</p><p>“I think we’re fine, thanks for asking”, Felix answered, showing a polite smile. Both Leedo and the magic user beside him nodded, but Leedo’s eyes flickered to Minho for a short moment. There was a mixture of gratitude and worry in the eyes of the Demi-dragon. It was like a silent ‘Thank you for helping and sorry you got hurt’ and it lead Minho to show a soft smile just so Leedo would feel more at ease.</p><p>“Got it”, Byungho said softly, rolling his shoulders a little bit and taking a step back from Minho. The cat hybrid looked down to his side again. There was a cut in his shirt, but the wound that should have been right there was completely gone, leaving a barely noticeable scar there. </p><p>At this point, Minho made a mental note to thank and praise Byungho for his incredible healing powers later. He knew the other had healing abilities, he just never realized how good they actually were. It was just a bit embarrassing that he had to be healed in the first place. </p><p>“Thanks, hyung”, Minho mumbled into Byungho’s direction without making direct eye contact. He could still see how the brunette just smiled softly at him for a brief moment. </p><p>“Just be careful and let’s go we have no time to waste”, the brunette urged, starting to move again. Chan was waiting for the two Lee brothers and gently nudged Minho forward with his snout. Minho complied and followed after Byungho with Felix right beside him. </p><p>With one last glance over his shoulder, Minho checked if everything was fine. ONEUS seemed to have everything under control now, so they were good to go. </p><p>Byungho seemed to follow Taeyong’s directions again, because he was navigating them through the headquarter like he knew them by heart. They made twists and turns that seemed nonsensical, but every time they did Minho could hear the faint sound of fighting echoing down the white walls, followed by the scent of both hunters and supernatural creatures. </p><p>When they turned at yet another corner Minho picked up an old yet similar scent between the ones of many hunters. It was a scent that reminded him of home and so often had been a source of comfort to him whenever he felt sad. It was the faint scent of his parents. </p><p>Minho felt his feet start kicking harder into the ground and how his senses heightened themselves, but he tried his best to not focus on the scent too much. He couldn’t make the same mistake from before and let his senses focus on just one thing.</p><p>Catching up to Byungho was easy for Minho, but it surprised the cat hybrid how the older male just let him take the lead completely. With Felix close behind him, Minho let his nose lead the way until he caught a glimpse of two humans when he turned at a corner and abruptly halted. </p><p>Felix lightly bumping into Minho when the other quickly took a step back to get out of the hunters’s sight, but understood well enough what this meant to not be in his brother’s way any longer than necessary.</p><p>Minho carefully looked around the corner again to get a better look at their foes. There were two seemingly male guards standing in front of a door. One of them had a large spear in his right hand and the other a simple one-hand sword sheathed on his side. They seemed unaware of the presence of the group of four, which was a good thing. They could use the element of surprise to their advantage and if they were luck knock both guards out with just one attack. </p><p>The cat hybrid pulled back again, turning around to face his group members. It surprised Minho to see that he already had their attention on him. It makes explaining his plan a bit easier. </p><p>“There are two guards. One with a spear, one with a sword. If we’re quick, we can take them out without having to put up a fight. I suggest our usual formation with Byungho-hyung and me up front. Byungho can distract them with magic while we take them out”, Minho quickly explained as quietly as possible. </p><p>Chan, Felix and Byungho nodded, understanding the plan. Byungho rejoined Minho’s side, getting ready to sprint beside the cat hybrid. Minho, Chan and Felix will probably leave him a bit behind with their speed, but the magic user already knew that. They had trained in this formation lone enough to know what to expect. </p><p>Minho looked to Chan and Felix, who also readied themselves for a quick sprint. Felix’s ice blue cat eyes were almost sparkling with determination and Minho was pretty sure he knew why. With the scent of their parents lingering in the air, it was save to assume that their mother and father were behind the guarded door. </p><p>The cat hybrid took a breath, turned around again and prepared himself take out those guards as quick as possible, but this time he would make sure to keep his attention on them. After all, he couldn’t make the same mistake twice. </p><p>Minho raised his right hand, ready to give the signal to attack. He peeked around the corner again, checking the immediate surroundings. His cat ears twitch around trying to pick up any kind of suspicious sound, but there was nothing. The two guards were alone here. </p><p>Without waiting any further, Minho pulled his hand down and began moving with his group members following close behind him. The cat hybrid instantly broke into a sprint, heading towards the two guards in high speed. Reaching them was a thing of seconds for Minho and he didn’t hesitate to rip their crystals off them. </p><p>The hunter with the spear’s eyes widened when he realized what was going on and tried to land a hit on Minho with his spear, but the cat hybrid jumped back, letting Felix and Chan take his place on the very front.</p><p>Golden vines reached up from the ground and trapped the hunters on the spot. Chan ripped the spear away from the one hunter while Felix took the other’s sword. The vine climbed up the hunters’s bodies and ultimately gaged them, leaving them without a chance to scream for help. The hunters struggled against the vines, but it was no use. They couldn’t fight the magic without their crystals. </p><p>Minho released a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he saw that the hunters were secured by Byungho’s magic vines. He had to admit that the vine restriction spell was pretty useful when it came to trapping others. Good thing Byungho learned it as part of his training at both Miroh High and at the NCT headquarter.</p><p>Byungho walked up to his group, chanting under his breath while the vines moved the hunters to the side and out of the way. Minho guessed the brunette will soon also put an illusion spell over the hunters to hide them away from their fellow hunters. Meanwhile, Chan was carefully pushing the crystals away with his paws, so they were mostly out of sight of anyone, who would pass by randomly. Felix was the one, who stood in front of the door they just won and stared at it. His ice blue cat eyes were so focused you could think they saw right through the heavy-looking, metal door in front of them. </p><p>There was no telling what exactly Felix was thinking and feeling right now, even for Minho.Their parents could be behind this door, but it also be someone else. There was no guarantee, even with the scent of them lingering here. After all, it was an older scent and also mixed with a lot of other smells. </p><p>Minho pushed the doubts away and walked up to his brother, laying his hand on the ginger’s shoulder. Felix turned his head towards Minho, ice blue cat eyes meeting piercing green ones. It was no secret that Felix had inherited the ice blue cat eyes from their father, but the younger’s gaze always reminded Minho of their mother. It was a usually warm and shining gaze, even in the saddest situations, but right now Felix’s eyes were fearful and worried. They didn’t know what was waiting for them behind that door. </p><p>Tightening his grip on the younger’s shoulder a little bit, Minho tried to give the other a bit of comfort. They shared the same fear in that moment, but Minho also wanted them to share the same hope. There was a possibility of their parents being behind that door, there was a chance of them being alive and for the most part well, there was hope for the Lee brothers to get them back.   </p><p>The two brothers only broke their eye contact and interrupted their silent conversation when Byungho came up to them, eyes fixed on the door. He was the one, who had to check it for traps and if possible open it. </p><p>“This could take me a bit, so you will need to stand guard”, Byungho said quietly. Minho nodded, pulling Felix away a bit to give the brunette magic user better access to the door. The light scratching sound of claws on the ground was heard, making Minho look towards a certain wolf hybrid. </p><p>Chan was coming up to them, pressing his head onto their thighs for a short moment as a sign of silent support. Minho showed the other a small smile of appreciation before he let his attention focus on his surroundings. He let his cat ears twitch around, searching for any kind of suspicious sounds while his eyes scanned the area he could see. There was nothing to been seen or heard for the moment except Byungho’s mumbling. </p><p>The passing of time was hard to tell without a watch and when you were waiting for something. Minho had no idea when his cat ears stopped twitch around in search for suspicious sounds and focused on the soft screeching of a metal door being opened. </p><p>The cat hybrid’s head whipped around as soon as his ears caught the sound and Felix did just the same. Byungho was still standing in front of the door, which was now a split opened. The remains of his golden magic was slowly fading and he was just opening his eyes when Minho walked up next to him, closely followed by Felix. </p><p>At that moment Minho wished he could just rip the door open and rush inside, but he willed himself to look at Byungho for approval first. The brunette met the gazes of the Lee brothers and gave them a short nod. </p><p>Without hesitation Felix lunged forward and ripped the door open, leaving Minho gasping at what he saw inside.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0083"><h2>83. Reunion and silver magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Felix and Minho get reunited with their parents, but also run into a major problem.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Felix’s heart was drumming against his ribcage when he got a glimpse of the familiar long ginger hair of his mother. Without thinking, Felix pushed past his hyungs and entered the room first. HIs eyes fixated on the ginger hair in his vision. </p><p>All air was knocked out of Felix’s lungs when he stood in the room that was way too familiar with the one he had seen when he entered the headquarter. Everything would be bleak Whiteness if it wasn’t for the spots of dried blood on the ground and walls. </p><p>In the middle of the room were two people laying on the ground unmoving. Their wrists were cuffed behind their backs and attached to a large metal chain, which was fixated on the ground.   </p><p>Felix felt a lump forming in his throat when he registered the ginger hair of his mother again. It was splayed on the ground, creating a stark contrast to the Whiteness of the room, which was one of the reasons Felix’s eyes had locked onto the color as soon as he caught a glimpse of it. </p><p>Not far from his mother was the other person that Felix also instantly recognized. Laying on his stomach with his face turned away from the door where Felix stood, was the young cat hybrid’s father. For a short moment, Felix had the feeling to see Minho instead of his father, even though he knew that his older brother was right behind him. </p><p>A small movement on his mother’s head let Felix attention snap back to the ginger woman. Felix’s breath was caught in his throat when his mother slowly raised his head, her piercing green cat eyes looking around disoriented until they met her son’s ice blue ones. </p><p>“Mum,” Felix whispered mostly to himself before his legs started to move on their own. The little movement had his mother’s eyes widen in fear. </p><p>“Felix, don’t!” she yelled. Felix didn’t understand what was going on, but he was suddenly yanked back by his shoulders. The ginger cat hybrid let out a surprised yelp, his head snapping to the side to see that Minho had been the one to yank him back. Minho’s piercing green eyes were blown wide and his breath was a bit quickened while his gaze was focused on their mother. </p><p>“Thank you, Minho,” Mrs. Lee said, dragging Felix’s attention back to his mother. The ginger haired woman had pushed her upper body up even with her wrist tied behind her back, so she was in a sitting position. She looked a lot thinner than Felix remembered and he could faintly see patches of purple and green color on her skin. </p><p>“There is a hunter’s trap,” Mrs. Lee explained, pointing at a specific spot in front of her with her nose. Felix realized how he had almost crossed that spot in order to get to his parents. If his mother hadn’t reacted so quickly he would have activated whatever trap was hidden here. </p><p>“How can we get past it?” Minho asked from behind Felix. Mrs. Lee looked at her two sons, showing a light smile before shaking her heads. Felix felt his heart being clenched uncomfortably. There had to be a way to get past this trap and save his parents. </p><p>Subconsciously, Felix’s gaze wandered over to his father, who was still unmoving on the ground. It made the lump on the young cat hybrid’s throat tighten. His father was alive right? Of course, he was alive, otherwise the room would reek of death, but it was only filled with the scent of his parents and old blood. </p><p>Felix flinched a bit when Byungho walked up beside him. He hadn’t noticed the brunette coming up beside him at all. A certain calmness radiated from Byungho when he knelt down, placing his hands flat on the ground. Slowly, even Felix could feel the magic radiating off his older friend. It showed itself as a faint golden glimmer that surrounded the brunette. </p><p>For a few moments, nothing happened but then Felix heard something cracking. The ginger’s cat ears twitched around trying to detect what was making this sound only to realize that it came from multiple spots. The quieted but nearby sound of multiple little explosions had Felix on edge, but then he heard Byungho sigh and plop himself down on the ground.</p><p>Instantly, the ginger’s attention was on the brunette, who just sat himself up again when when Chan’s grey wolf form gently nudged him with his nose. Felix had no clue what was going on right now, or what Byungho had done, but the brunette seemed relaxed when he patted Chan’s wolf head before he stood up again. After making sure everything was at least under control, Chan return to guarding the door, which he had probably been doing this entire time. </p><p>“I should have managed to disable the trap, but better be sure than sorry”, Byungho said more to himself than the Lee family. The brunette mumbled a spell, which created a magical shield around both the Lee parents and the four members of Stray Kids. </p><p>Byungho unlaced his boot, slipped out of it and then threw it to the spot Mrs. Lee had described as the trigger for the trap. The boot landed on the spot and nothing happened. The room fell  deathly silent for a suffocating long moment, but nothing seemed to have been triggered. “It’s safe now,” Byungho said in a quiet, soft voice while lowering the magical shields again. </p><p>Without hesitation, Felix ripped himself free from his brother’s grip and stormed towards his mother, pulling her into a hug the second she was in arm’s reach. He took in her sweet, comforting scent while his vision blurred with tears. </p><p>“Oh, Felix,” he heard his mother whisper, her voice cracking halfway through his name. Her thinned arms wrapped themselves around the young cat hybrid not long after she had spoken, letting the young boy just hold onto her tighter. He had her back, he had her finally back. </p><p>“Minho?”, a deep, rough, male voice attracted Felix’s attention instantly, letting the young cat hybrid pull away from his mother just far enough to look over to his father and older brother. Minho was kneeling in front of Mr. Lee, whose wrists have been freed. The brown haired man had propped himself up on his elbows just a little bit so he could look properly at Minho.</p><p>From where he sat, Felix couldn’t see his father’s face, but he could watch Minho, whose cheeks were wet with tears, help their father into a sitting position. The faint feeling of magic had Felix redirect his eyes again to the end of the room where Byungho was already working on a portal, so they could get Mr. and Mrs. Lee out of here. </p><p>While slowly letting his attention drift back to his mother, Felix realize that this was everything he had hoped from getting out of the rescue mission. He had his parents back, but the mission wasn’t over yet. There were more creatures they needed to rescue. </p><p>Willing himself to calm down, he bit his lips lightly to let himself focus. He had to get his parents to a safe place and then continue on with the mission. Felix straightened his back, bracing himself for getting up. </p><p>“Mum?” Felix called his mother softly, earning a small hum from the woman, who was still secured in his arms. They had to get up to walk through the portal, but he was almost too conscious of his mother’s weakness. </p><p>“Can you stand up with me?” Felix asked his mother gently. For a short moment Mrs. Lee didn’t answer, but then Felix could feel her tense a little bit in an attempt to support her own weigh. It wasn’t the most fruitful attempt, but her fighting spirit was admirable. </p><p>“Anything to get out of here”, Mrs. Lee pressed out between tight lips. Without saying anything, Felix began to automatically readjust their position by putting one of his mother’s arms around his shoulders and wrapping his arms around her waist. The ginger felt his chest tighten when he was able to easily stand up, taking his mother with him. She weighed basically nothing. </p><p>Mrs. Lee’s lips were pressed into a tight line when she tried to somehow carry a bit of her own weight, but she was too weak and just slumped more against Felix. Biting down at his lower lip, Felix tried to not give into the urge of breaking out in tears. Instead he turned his head lightly and gently pressed his nose again his mother’s dirty ginger hair, hoping the gesture could serve as a sort of comfort. </p><p>Felix guided his mother over to the portal Byungho had created and glanced over to Minho and his father. Minho was carrying Mr. Lee like Felix was carrying their mother, but Chan, who had temporarily turned back into his human form was also helping supporting the fully grown cat hybrid. </p><p>The ginger cat hybrid ripped his gaze away from the scene in order to keep himself under control and instead focused on Byungho, waiting for a sign to walk through the portal. Byungho’s hands were outstretched and seemed to hold up the portal. His eyes shimmered golden instead of their usual dark color. </p><p>The magical creature let a sigh escape him and looked over to Felix, nodding at the cat hybrid as a silent permission to walk through the portal. Felix secured his mother in his arms and started to walk through the portal, letting the magic swirl around him and his mother. Within the blink of an eye, Felix stood on the clearing where the creatures, who didn’t enter the hunter’s headquarter were situated. </p><p>It took Felix a short moment to register the dark eyes that were fixated on him. Seungmin, who stood beside the portal with his hands outstretched while his magic was feeding the vertical whirlpool of colors behind Felix, was looking at his group member with an empathetic glimmer in his eyes. </p><p>In the corner of his eyes Felix saw something blue approach him. The ginger cat hybrid turned his head to see Jisung approach him with a concerned look on his face. Without saying anything, Jisung slipped Mrs. Lee’s free arm over his shoulder, supporting the woman from her other side. Felix showed the warlock an appreciative smile. At this point, Mrs. Lee was barely awake anymore, but she send Felix a light smile when he looked at her worriedly. </p><p>With Jisung’s help Felix began to more or less carry his mother to the little medic station they had set up. It was a structure made out of pure magic, but it was still guarded by some werewolves of the Moon pack. You couldn’t see through the little barriers that were used as walls, hiding what was going on inside of the station. </p><p>Before the two teens fully reached the station they were already greeted by Renjun, who met them halfway. The warlock with the grey eyes, quickly took over Jisung’s position. </p><p>“You can rejoin your group. I will take care of her”, Renjun said in a soft yet professional tone while looking at Felix. It didn’t sit right with Felix to leave his mother behind like that, but he knew that NCT was skilled and that she would be well protected here. With a mental sigh, Felix pressed his nose against his mother’s hair once more. </p><p>“They will take care of you, mum. I will be back soon”, Felix mumbled against his mother’s hair, hoping she could hear him. She didn’t really react to it. While biting the inside of his cheek, Felix reluctantly let go of his mother, putting her whole weigh onto Renjun. </p><p>The young warlock from NCT, showed Felix and empathetic smile before he started to carry Mrs. Lee into the magical medic station. Felix looked after them for a moment before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him to face Chan. The male with the silver locks had nothing but understanding in his eyes. </p><p>Felix had almost missed how his father was also carried into the medic station by a female wolf hybrid. Minho was looking after their father while Jisung was standing beside him. It was no surprise to anyone when Jisung just wrapped Minho up in a hug. The older male accepted the hug, nestling his face into the warlock’s neck. </p><p>The attention of the young ginger cat hybrid was pulled back to his leader when the wolf hybrid spoke up. “We have to get back to Byungho. We can’t leave him in that place alone”, Chan said softly, leaving any kind of negative emotion out of his voice. Felix nodded. There was no way they would leave Byungho behind in that awful place.</p><p>With quick steps the group made their way back to the portal where Seungmin was still keeping up the portal spell. The redhead looked at them almost regretfully when they passed him to go through the portal, leaving Jisung behind.</p><p>Felix still had this constricting feeling in his chest when the magic of the portal began to surround him and he was pretty sure it wouldn’t go away any time soon, but he had to focus. There were more cat hybrids and vampires in the hunter’s headquarter that needed saving, there were other rescue parties that might need their help. </p><p>With one deep breath, Felix focused his mind on the task at hand. His parents were save and beside the little incident with Minho all of them were unharmed. They were doing fine so far and surely could keep this up. </p><p>The swirling of colorful magic parted to reveal the cell where his parents had previously been, Felix felt more ready than ever. The young cat hybrid stayed close to his brother and group leader while leaving the portal. Chan shifted back into his wold form the second they stepped out of the portal, being greeted by the thick stench of dried blood. </p><p>The group didn’t dwell in the room too long and immediately made their way outside, back into the corridor after Byungho had let the portal dissolve. The group started to move in their previous formation, but they were a lot slower now with Byungho having grown more tired because of the excessive use of magic. Felix reminded himself to thank the magic user for everything later. </p><p>The three animal hybrids remain on high alert, trying to catch any sign of commotion within the corridors while Byungho lead the group according to instructions only he could hear. Their surroundings were mostly quiet and quite scentless. Occasionally there was the scent of another group along with some unknown, but definitely supernatural ones, which let the group assume that it was just rescue parties with the freed prisoners. </p><p>The small group continued to make their way through the many corridors of the headquarter until Minho slowed down the tempo, raising his hand to nonverbally warn them of something coming. Felix couldn’t smell any new, fresh scent in the air, so he strained his cat ears. There was a soft, distant but quickly approaching clinking sound like someone was running in boots. Someone was heading their way. </p><p>Minho quickly lead the group behind the next best corner, so they were out of view of whoever was approaching them. Felix let himself tense up a bit, ready to bounce at any foe that would show themself, but then he faintly recalled what they knew about the hunter’s crystals. They hunter’s crystals were so dangerous because they had the power to conceal any hunter from every supernatural creature. This was the very first time they actually heard someone approaching them, so maybe it wasn’t even a hunter. </p><p>This idea was quickly shoved out of his mind when he saw how Byungho let his hands start to glow. His golden magic was swirling around his fingers ready to be used. If the older reacted that way then whoever was approaching them was a foe or at least someone they didn’t know. </p><p>Felix took a quiet breath and focused on his attention towards the clicking sound that grew closer and closer with every heartbeat. The ginger’s eyes were lingering on the corridors ahead of them, but he also paid attention to Minho in case the older cat hybrid would give them a signal. Minho’s shoulders were tense, shoulders drawn up in defense while he started ahead, fully concentrated. </p><p>The sound of the footsteps grew closer and closer until they the clinking sound was near enough for Felix to almost feel it hitting his ear drum. A swirl of blue and silver entered Felix’s vision as a woman with long silver hair and a blue cloak ran past them. Minho didn’t give a signal to attack and Felix knew precisely why. The woman before them was non other than the nurse of Miroh High, Shiela.</p><p>Shiela’s brilliant blue eyes focused on them for a moment and made her halt her movement abruptly. Her eyes were blown wide with surprise. Had she been held captive here too and had just managed to escape on her own? Had the hunters captured more creatures than just the cat hybrids from the Sky Clan and the vampires from the royal palace?</p><p>“What are you kids doing here?”, she asked in a low, worried voice. Her bright blue eyes were focused on them as she panted lightly from running. Felix could sense his hyungs’ confusion, so he stepped forward a little, joining Minho’s side at the front. </p><p>“We’re here to rescue captives like you”, Felix answered, mirroring the quieter voice of Shiela. The nurse seemed a bit surprise to hear, but it was understandable considering how they had been mere students at Miroh High the last time she had seen them. </p><p>“But how? The place is littered with traps of all kinds. I was barely able to get past them to escape myself”, Shiela asked like she simply couldn’t believe it. Felix wanted to answer that, but suddenly Minho put his arms out, silently pushing the younger cat hybrid a bit behind him. </p><p>The ginger cat hybrid looked confused at his older brother, seeing the stern expression of the other. Felix couldn’t understand what his brother was thinking right now. They had to help Shiela if she had been captured too. </p><p>“How did you manage to escape?”, Minho asked with a cold voice. Shiela focused her blue eyes onto Minho, her gaze innocent yet unreadable to Felix. Slowly, Th cat hybrid felt the hair on his neck starting to stand up while his instincts told him to run. He focused on Shiela quickly scanning the woman. Her midnight blue cloak fell nicely around her form, covering most of her body, except for her black boots. The fabric was completely unscathed. Generally Shiela seemed absolutely fine. There ... there was no scratch on her. </p><p>Before Felix could properly end his train of thoughts Shiela’s magic flared up and was immediately directed towards him and his group members. Felix’s instincts immediately kicked in and let him dive to the side and out of the way of the magic. He rolled off and immediately sprang up again, whipping his head around to face Shiela only to see her silver magic clash with a golden barrier.</p><p>Felix’s eyes immediately snapped towards Byungho, who had raised his arms and letting his magic seep out of his hands to feed the barrier he created in front of the group. The brunette’s lips and pressed into a thin line while he maintained the barrier. </p><p>“Run. I will hold her off and follow”, was the only thing Byungho said barely audible to even the ears of the three hybrids. Felix wanted to protest and to tell the brunette that there was no way in hell that he would leave the other behind like that, but Byungho continued to mumble barely audible.</p><p>“Trust me on this, please”, Byungho pleaded them quietly. Felix bit down on his lower lip. He did trust Byungho and his ability, but was this really the right thing to do? Before Felix could answer that question for himself he felt something bump into his hip. The cat hybrid looked down to see Chan’s wolf form glancing up at him with a silent plead. </p><p>Felix looked back at Byungho and over to Shiela, who seemed like a totally different person now with her silver magic pushing harshly against Byungho’s golden one. The cat hybrid took a quick, shaky breath before he let his instincts flow his senses, causing him to run away from the immediate danger. </p><p>A quick glance over his shoulder assured him that Minho and Chan were with him. With his feet kicking against the ground, Felix send a silently prayer to the gods to help Byungho escape Shiela. There was just no way he could lose one of his treasured hyungs after he got his parents back.</p>
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<a name="section0084"><h2>84. Familiar faces and crimson blade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Changbin comes across some familiar faces and Byungho has to realize something.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin brushed passed the hunter before him, getting behind him within a heartbeat and knocked him out with on powerful hit on the head. The hunter stumbled forward before his legs broke away under him and he crashed onto the floor. </p><p>The young, uncrowned vampire king let a puff of air escape him before he turned and looked towards his hyungs. Changkyun send him a sort of proud smile while he quickly ripped the crystal off the hunter he had knocked out. </p><p>“Good reaction, Binnie”, Baekhyun praised Changbin quietly when the older vampire rejoined his king’s side. Changbin showed the older a quick smile before focusing on the door, which had been guarded by a lot of hunters. The corridor, where the group of vampires had found themselves through Taeyong’s guidance over the mind link, was covered with now six knocked out hunters. The sixth one had come unexpectedly and was the one Changbin had knocked out. For the most part the older vampires of the group didn’t let Changbin anywhere near any hunters which from their perspective was smart, but it slightly annoyed their uncrowned king. </p><p>Changbin shook the thoughts of the older vampires being too protective of him off and focused on the door ahead of him. According to Taeyong there were five supernaturals behind that door and a part of Changbin had the selfish hope that it were vampires from the royal palace. Of course  there was no doubt that Changbin would help whoever was behind that door, but a part of him longed for the satisfaction that saving people of his own kind would bring him. He was aware of just how stupid and incredibly selfish that thought was, but he had to somehow proof himself as the next vampire king.</p><p>With Baekhyun, Changkyun and Chanyeol close by his side, Changbin walked towards the door. Meanwhile Dowoon, Sehun and BM worked on separating the hunters from their crystals and then hiding them under an illusion spell casted by BM. </p><p>Changbin stopped when he stood in front of the metallic, white door and mustered it, searching for any visible signs for protection charms or any other sort of magic. There was non, but he had to be sure before he did anything. The young vampire turned around and towards BM who - to his surprise - was already heading his way. </p><p>The guardian with the blond hair, reached out his right hand when he stood beside Changbin, letting a cyan colored magic seep from it. The magic slithered around the door frame, searching for any kind of magic in the doorframe before dripping down and testing out everything else. There seemed to be nothing there. </p><p>BM retracted his magic slowly, letting it fade into the air and disappear before he shook his head. “There is nothing there. No magic runes or charms, nothing. It’s completely unguarded from a magic point of view, but there could be hunter traps I can’t sense yet”, BM explained to which Changbin nodded in understanding.</p><p>Just some moments ago, Byungho had warned the other leaders of hunter traps hidden within cells that were hard to notice at first over the mind link that connected them. When the older had reported that, Changbin’s heart had stopped for a short moment in fear of his friends having run into one to gain that information, but Byungho had clarified that they had disabled it with magic before Changbin had had the chance ask if they were okay. </p><p>“Try opening the door with magic while continuing to search for anything that could be considered a threat to us or the ones inside. We should be sure it’s save before opening the door”, Changkyun spoke up, looking at BM. The guardian nodded and let his magic return to the door. </p><p>Changbin continued to watch the guardian’s magic until the door creaked open, revealing a dark room. The air coming from the inside brought the scent of blood back into Changbin’s nostrils, making the crown prince almost gag. A quick and tiny movement in the dark room attracted the young vampire’s attention, but it was gone so quickly that he wasn’t entirely sure if his eyes hadn’t fooled him. </p><p>Changkyun entered the dark room along with BM while Baekhyun and Changbin followed behind them with a bit of distance. Before Changbin’s eyes could adjust to the dark, BM mumbled a spell under his breath, which the young vampire recognized as a spell for generating light. Shortly after the guardian had finished mumbling the dark room lit up in the glow of cyan magic.  </p><p>The cyan light revealed that the room was occupied by five rather young vampires. To Changbin’s surprise did he know all of them. Huddled up in the far right corner in the back of the room cowered the barely recognizable form of Chantelle. Her usually well kept dark brown hair was a matted mess which covered half of her cowered form. There were chains around her ankles and most likely her wrists too, but the young noble vampire had hidden her arms behind her legs. </p><p>Not far from Chantelle, was another recognizable face. Ryan, who had spend the majority of Changbin’s time at Miroh High at the crown prince’s side, was cowering in front of the back wall, his whole form was shivering while his face was buried in his knees. Despite his hair being brown, Changbin could see a bit of dried blood in the matted mess of hair. </p><p>The other three vampires weren’t in any better condition. Changbin wasn’t entirely sure about their names, but he knew that he had seen them at school at some point. One of three, a girl judging by the long raven hair, was laying on her side and not moving an inch, which worried the young crown prince and made him internally pray that she wasn’t dead. </p><p>Changbin felt his chest slowly constricting the longer he looked at the scene in the room. He had never been on good terms with Chantelle or Ryan and generally had never really liked any of the vampires at Miroh High save for some exceptions. There was no denying that most likely all of the young vampires present had just hung out with Changbin when they were still going to school because of his status as crown prince. They were only here because they had been unlucky enough to return to the castle of the royal vampire family a bit too fast.</p><p>Changbin gulped down his negative feelings and pushed the remaining ones into the back of his mind before he looked up at BM. The guardian had stilled his movements and let his cyan magic cover the entire room to scan every last corner to make sure it was safe for them to move around freely.</p><p>It took the guardian a moment before he gave his okay to Changbin in the form of a nod. The group of vampires then split up. Sehun remained by the door, BM was still keeping track of the room with his magic, which was noticeably by the way the cyan light seemed to faintly pulsate, while turning to the female vampire that laid unmoving next to the wall. Dowoon, Chanyeol and Baekhyun also tended to one of the prisoners each, leaving Changbin and Changkyun to take care of the remaining prisoner, which to his own surprise was Chantelle.</p><p>“Don’t break the chains on your own. They have a mild, hidden enchantment on them. I think it would set off an alarm if broken carelessly”, BM spoke up. Changbin turned towards the guardian for a short moment, seeing how he made the chains of the vampire girl with the black hair break on their own with his magic. The female vampire still didn’t even lightly stir, letting Changbin feel a bit nauseous.</p><p>“Chang- Changbin?”, a broken, female voice spoke up, letting the crown prince’s head snap around to Chantelle. The female vampire had raised her head ever so lightly, letting her black eyes focus on Changbin. </p><p>The last time Changbin had seen her eyes was when he had seen her stuck to the wall with fear and anger swimming in them. At the time Changbin hadn’t paid much attention to her, too focused on Seungmin who had been suffering from a sort of magic overload, which had been caused by Chantelle. He remembered how angry he had been with her, with Ryan, with basically all the vampires at Miroh High. He remember just to which lengths he would have gone to keep his friends save from her and Ryan. </p><p>He remember how she had represented one of the hardships he had to overcome. </p><p>It felt like an eternity ago.</p><p>Changbin approached the girl, squatting down before her. Her black eyes were still on him. They shimmered with unshed tears and so much hope that Changbin felt undeserving of it. He had hated Chantelle for what she had done to Seungmin and what she had been ready to do to the rest of his friends, but she didn’t deserve being here.</p><p>“We’ll get you out of here”, the words slipped out of Changbin’s mouth without the young vampire fully realizing it. Chantelle’s eyes lit up for a short moment before a dam in her eyes seemed to break and she began bawling her eyes out while mumbling ‘Thank you’ over and over again.</p><p>At one point, BM came over to Changbin, Changkyun and Chantelle and freed the vampire girl from her chains. The girl was still crying, but a lot less noisy. There were still tears streaming down her face, but that was about it. When she was freed from her chains she mumbled a last ‘Thank you’ to BM which the guardian acknowledged with a smile and nod before moving on. </p><p>“Can you stand?”, Changbin asked the girl, reaching a hand out for her to grab should she need help. Chantelle sniffled and faintly nodded before she attempted to stand up her own. It was a fruitless attempt since her legs buckled away under her immediately. Changbin lunged forward, catching her by wrapping an arm around her waist in the nick of time. Without asking any further questions, Changbin picked the girl up by rearranging his grip, so on arm was around her shoulders and the other under her knees. </p><p>Chantelle send a weak, appreciative smile his way before she let her head drop against his chest. Her body was basically limp in Changbin’s arms which fueled a small flame in Changbin’s chest. Zendala and the hunters will pay for their crimes and if it was the last thing Changbin did in his life time. </p><p>After they had freed all the prisoners in the room, BM started to create a portal. Changkyun was the one, who had picked up the vampire girl with the black hair that BM had taken care of before starting to create the magical portal. She looked sickly pale and tiny in Changkyun’s arms. It let Changbin’s stomach tie itself into a knot while he dearly hoped that the girl would make it. </p><p>When BM had finished the portal, Changbin lead the group of vampires through it. The young crown prince was glad when Baekhyun took it upon himself to notify the other leaders of their discovery and warned J.Seph that they would bring five very weak, young vampires with them. </p><p>The swirling of magic slowly disappeared from Changbin’s vision, making room for the clearing where other creatures were waiting from him and his group. The crown prince caught a glimpse of Seungmin before his view on the redhead was taken by a tall werewolf, taking Chantelle off his arms. </p><p>He barely noticed Chantelle being taken from him and only snapped back from his trance when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. His head automatically turned to the owner of the hand on the shoulder, coming face to face with Changkyun. The older vampire showed a small empathetic smile and let a finger hover in front of his eye for a short moment. It didn’t take a genius to piece together what that meant. Changbin’s red glow had intensified to the point where it was visibly noticeable. </p><p>“I’ll be fine,” Changbin mumbled to no one in particular. “Don’t lie to yourself like that, hyung,” a voice seemed to echo in his mind, but it wasn’t from the other leaders. It was a voice that was oddly familiar to him, but for a moment he couldn’t say why until his eyes focused themselves on Seungmin who at one point had walked up to the vampire crown prince and Changkyun. </p><p>Seungmin showed the vampire a light encouraging smile and then nodded towards something behind Changbin. The crown prince followed the nonverbal signal to turn around and saw his vampire hyungs waiting for him at the portal with Wonpil, who was keeping magic stable. </p><p>Right, they had a mission to fulfill. </p><p>“Good luck,” Seungmin’s voice echoed in his mind, letting Changbin look back to the redhead. He made a mental note to ask Seungmin how he could transmit telepathic messages without seemingly anyone else noticing later. He quickly nodded at him before he returned to his group, ready to continue the mission.</p><p>Changbin let himself be engulfed in the magic of BM and Wonpil’s portal once more before reappearing in the room, which had previously been the prison of Chantelle, Ryan and the three other young vampires. </p><p>Sehun was still stood by the room’s door and BM was still keeping up the portal until everyone was back safely. Changbin didn’t loose any time and made his way back to the door of the room. </p><p>“Taeyong we might-,“ Changbin wanted to ask the guardian with the red hair for a new destination, but was promptly interrupted by Byungho. </p><p>“We have a problem. A massive one. Zendala isn’t the only magical creature on the hunters’ side. Shiela, the nurse from Miroh High is helping the hunters too. We have come across her just now and we need help. I don’t know how long I can keep her busy,” Byungho’s words were rushed, but clear enough for everyone to understand. </p><p>Changbin felt a bit of panic rise in his chest. Zendala had help this whole time. She wasn’t the only magic user at the hunters’ side and the one who helped her was Shiela, the nurse of Miroh High of all people. </p><p>A sudden realization was slapped into Changbin’s face. Shiela was THE nurse of Miroh High. She had access to ALL the school’s medical files. She had scanned Byungho and Seungmin after they were both drained of magic! The attack on the Kim brothers made so much more sense now. Zendala knew that the Kim brothers were special creatures through Shiela! </p><p>Changbin felt like the world around him was swimming until something suddenly clicked in his head and the panic began to subside. He needed to get to Byungho as fast as possible. The brunette may not have come to the same conclusion as him and that alone was dangerous enough. </p><p>“Changbin, Baekhyun, your group is the one, that can reach Byungho the fastest,” Taeyong’s voice seemed to pierce through Changbin’s thoughts in an instant. He needed to focus and get to Byungho as fast as possible.</p><p>The vampire crown prince turned to his group. The portal was already gone and they seemed to be waiting for his command. The young royal quickly came up with a strategy to get to Byungho as fast as possible. BM was the only one who had no supernatural speed. Dowoon was the fastest among the vampires, meaning the one they could slow down a bit.</p><p>“BM get on Dowoon’s back. We need to be as fast as possible,” Changbin quickly instructed. The magic user nodded in understanding. “Taeyong-hyung, lead us to Byungho-hyung,” the uncrowned king replied to the guardian, receiving the first directions as an answer. With that, the vampires were off. </p><p>———————————————</p><p>Byungho’s shoulders grew less tense when he heard the footsteps of his group members growing more and more distant. He was glad that they had listened to him and retreated. It would be easier to just shield himself from Shiela’s attacks than a whole group. </p><p>It still felt unreal to see Shiela standing before him with her silver magic directed at him with malicious intent. He had never thought that the kindhearted nurse of Miroh High had a connection to the hunters. </p><p>In his head Byungho could faintly hear Taeyong giving the vampire group directions, but he basically ignored the quiet noise and focused on the woman ahead of him. Shiela’s magic was still pushing harshly against his shield, ready to overwhelm him the second he made a mistake.</p><p>The young magic user gritted his teeth lightly while pushing back just a little bit and letting his shield become a bit smaller in order to focus is magic better. A bit of weakness was creeping up Byungho’s legs, but the adrenaline that was pulsing through his veins kept him upright and going. </p><p>“You can’t hold that shield forever, Byungho. You will have to put more effort into it if you want to have a chance,” Shiela casually commented. At the same time, she let a strong wave of magic clash against Byungho’s golden shield, pushing the younger back by a few centimeters. The brunette could feel his hands cramp up a bit while his magic had flickered for a short moment. He had never realized how strong Shiela was until now. </p><p>“Stop playing weaker than you are, will you?,” Shiela continued to speak. If Byungho didn’t so stubbornly fight against Shiela’s magic he might have been caught off guard by that question, but he wasn’t fully listening to the female warlock. His attention only shifted back towards Shiela when he felt her magic getting less violent in their attacks.</p><p>Byungho looked at the female warlock, seeing nothing but a blank expression on her face. It was foreign and unreal to see her without a kind smile and warm eyes. There was no denying that he had liked Shiela. She had always been a good nurse and often helped Seungmin and Jisung when they accidentally got hurt playing pranks. Just why did she help the hunters? He couldn’t understand her in that point.</p><p>Her blue eyes focused themselves onto Byungho. They may be void of emotions, but it was easy for the young magic user to see past the emotionless front she put up. The brunette had a hard time focusing only be on his magic when he could still see the kindhearted nurse in her.</p><p>“You know what I really hate about this, Byungho? Me crossing paths with you was unavoidable and bound to happen. Maybe a part of me even dreaded it because I know you and Seungmin and even Wonpil,” Shiela said, her shoulders tensing up a bit. There was a bit of sadness lighting up behind her emotionless front which was only highlighted by less and less magic actively pushing against Byungho’s shield.</p><p>Byungho tried his best to keep his shield as strong as before as a precaution, but he could feel how he was carefully lowering his mental guard. He didn’t really know what exactly Shiela was talking about and why their meeting had been inevitable, but she had just confirmed with her words and behavior that she hadn’t always been on the hunters’ side while working at Miroh High, she hadn’t always lied to him and his friends and family. </p><p>“Byungho, do me a favor,” Shiela spoke up again. Her blue eyes were focused on Byungho’s dark ones, which currently glowed in a faint golden light. Her expression was mostly unreadable, but a part of Byungho told him that she was being genuine. </p><p>“Stop hiding and fight me with all of your powers. It may be your only chance of getting away,” Shiela said in a quieter voice, but Byungho could still hear her. The words were ringing in his ear and he had no clue just how much Shiela truly knew about him and his family until it hit him. </p><p>Could it have been Shiela that had informed Zendala about the Kim brothers’ true species? Had she been the one to figure out that Seungmin and Wonpil were demons and Byungho an angel-demon mix? Was she the reason why Zendala had become interested in the Kim family?</p><p>A sudden push against his magical shield let Byungho snap out of his thoughts and focus back on Shiela. Her magic had begun to clash against his shield more violently that before. He couldn’t properly see Shield through the swirl of silver magic that was smashing against the golden wall in front of him in increasingly stronger waves. </p><p>“Now fight me, Kim Byungho! Show me what the child of two otherworldly beings can do! Show me how mighty you can be when you aren’t hiding!” Shiela challenged, her voice now having a dangerous edge to it.  Byungho could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He wanted to run now. There was no reason for him to show his true self. His friends were saved and he had promised to only use his powers when they were in danger. </p><p>A silver light in the corner of his vision made Byungho’s body react faster than his body could comprehend. His gigantic black wings showed themselves on their own and pushed the young male away from Shiela with one strong blow. </p><p>The woman with the silver hair, stopped her attacks only to shield herself from the massive amount of wind that was send her way. Byungho breathed heavily while his eyes remained on Shiela. His golden shield was gone, but he wasn’t without protection. The black wings that had showed themselves shielded his sides and were ready to complete surround him should Shiela decided to attack him. </p><p>Shiela looked at Byungho from behind her shield with wide blue eyes, her mouth slightly agape. Panic began to flood Byungho’s system when Shiela’s lips curled up into a triumphant smile. She had reached her goal. </p><p>And before she could open her mouth to say another word, a black lighting came from the side and punched her in the face hard enough to send her flying to the ground. Every bit of air left Byungho’s lungs when the cloaked creature, that had saved him, turned around and the unmoving winged male had to realize that it was Changbin who had rescued him. </p><p>Changbin stared down the corridor where Byungho stood, obviously seeing the huge wings that were attached to the brunette’s back. The vampire wanted to open his mouth to say something until a panicked scream for Changbin’s name ripped both young male’s back into reality. </p><p>Only one reacted just a second too late. Byungho had to watch in horror how the second Changbin turned towards the panicked scream for his name, he was stabbed by a hunter with a long crimson blade.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0085"><h2>85. Tug</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hyunjin and Jeongin realize that they have soulmates.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin gasped for air when he felt a sharp pain stabbing his stomach. He automatically threw the blanket, that had covered him, off himself, looking at his abdomen with quick breaths. There was nothing, no blood and the pain dulled to the point he could barely feel it. He was just staring at his with cloths covered stomach. The siren laid a shaky hand onto the spot had hurt just a moment prior, but not even the touch reactivated the sharp pain that had ripped him out of his sleep. </p><p>“Hyung? Everything alright?”, a tired voice attracted the siren’s attention, letting the tall male take in his surroundings more. He was in the room that Changbin, Minho, Felix and Jisung shared at the NCT headquarter. Everything was still dark, indicating that it was either late, or very early in the morning. Currently he was sitting in Changbin’s upper bunk bed, the top of his head not far from the ceiling. </p><p> The young male let a breath escape him in order to calm his racing heart and looked into the direction of the voice that had called for him. He already knew that it was Jeongin who he had probably woken up with his sudden awakening.</p><p>“Sorry, Innie. I didn’t mean to wake you”, the siren apologized, searching for Jeongin in the pitch black room. He couldn’t see the other, but heard the younger male hum in acknowledgment to his previous statement, followed by the sound of a bed screeching. A view quiet seconds past before his bunk bed moving a little bit when Jeongin made his way up the ladder. As a kitsune, Jeongin’s eye sight was better than Hyunjin’s in the dark, which the siren always envied. </p><p>“I wasn’t really asleep anyway”, the kitsune simply stated when he plopped down next to Hyunjin on the bed only to let out a little surprised yelp in the same second. It got a little chuckle out of the siren despite not seeing what had happened to the other. It was an almost automatic reaction. </p><p>“What the hell? Why is there an ancient book? Wait ... Isn’t that the book of vampires?”, Jeongin asked in mild confusion. The little chuckle died in Hyunjin’s throat when he was reminded of the ancient artifact that Changbin had given him for safekeeping. Almost instinctively, Hyunjin reached his hand to the side where he thought the book and Jeongin to be. He quickly grabbed the old book when his fingers brushed the leather cover, pulling it out from under Jeongin and clutching to his chest. </p><p>Changbin trusted him with keeping this book save and he was already doing a miserable job. He held the book tighter to his chest while the memory of Changbin giving it to him flooded his mind. It hadn’t been long after Seungmin had left to go home to sleep before the rescue mission that Changbin had pulled out the ancient book. Hyunjin had seen how conflicted the vampire had been for a moment  before he had held the artifact out to the siren with a certain determination in his eyes. He had asked Hyunjin to keep the book of vampires save at all costs because it could be key to winning the war against the hunters. </p><p>Hyunjin still couldn’t believe that Changbin had trusted him with such an important task, but he had sworn to himself to do his best the second he had taken the book out of Changbin’s grip. He only faintly remember him and Changbin returning to this room, but he knew that he had fallen asleep with Changbin beside him and the book clutched to his chest.</p><p>“Changbin-hyung gave me the task of keeping it save while he’s on the rescue mission”, Hyunjin explained to his younger cousin, looking to the spot where he could faintly see the outlines of Jeongin. The kitsune didn’t answer for a moment, but Hyunjin could feel the other’s gaze on him and once again envied the other’s ability to see better in the dark than him. <br/>“Then maybe don’t keep it in Changbin-hyung’s bed and try to hide it from view”, Jeongin nonchalantly commented and the shuffling sound beside Hyunjin told the siren that his cousin had settled down now. At first, Hyunjin wanted to scoff at his cousin and repeat how he had to guard it at all times, but then he realized that what the younger said did make a bit of sense. Only a bit. </p><p>The siren let a sigh escape him and flopped down into the mattress, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. Jeongin’s warmth beside him was comforting, but not enough to lull him back into dreamland. The sharp pain in his abdomen, that had awake him, was still somehow there but it had dulled to the point where it was easy to ignore.</p><p>With the book of vampires still resting on his chest, he laid a hand back onto the dully aching spot. He pressed down gently, but nothing happened. The pain didn’t increase and he couldn’t feel any kind of wound. It was almost as if the pain he had felt wasn’t his own. </p><p>“Hey, hyung?”, Jeongin spoke up again, pulling Hyunjin out of his thoughts. The siren hummed to show that he was listening and that Jeongin should continue. “Did you wake up because you felt like super overwhelmed with emotions, only for those emotions to disappear the second you were awake?”, the kitsune asked, his voice a bit quieter and softer than usual. </p><p>Hyunjin turned his head towards his cousin, a bit of worry overpowering all his thoughts for the moment. Jeongin wasn’t the person to show intense emotions very openly, not to mention talk about them. The kitsune would rather hide behind a facade than let other’s know that he was really upset. So, Jeongin asking that was concerning for more than one reason. </p><p>“No, I woke up because I felt like someone put a knife into my stomach, but Jeongin-“, Hyunjin wanted to start explaining that it was normal to feel overwhelmed with emotions right now, but the kitsune interrupted him with a series of ‘Nononono’s. </p><p>“No, hyung. I know what you want to say and that’s not it. It felt like a burst of emotions that jumped me, ripped me out of my sleep and then disappeared, leaving only a bit of heart ache. And what do you mean with you woke up because you felt like someone stabbed you?”, the kitsune explained and asked all in one breath. </p><p>Hyunjin needed a moment to process what his cousin had just said, but when he did, he began to feel a bit of dread dropping down into his stomach. Jeongin and him waking up because of things that felt like didn’t belong to them was a total coincidence, right? Or could it be that it was connected to their friends being in some sort of danger? Was it some sort of group instinct that warned them? Or did they somehow just feel what the others were feeling? </p><p>Each question seemed scary to Hyunjin because they all implied that something terrible had happened to his friends and he could do basically nothing. He couldn’t even be sure if what he had felt was connected to one of his group members. </p><p>The siren clutched the book of vampires tighter to his chest while his thoughts raced. His knuckles turned white while his fingers dug into the leathery book cover. He needed answers to those questions. He needed someone to tell him that his friends were fine, that he was panicking for nothing, but who could give him those answers? </p><p>A sudden thought crossed his mind. A thought that seemed absolutely logical to a child. He could go to the room right beside this one, wake his mother and ask her. She would surely know how to deal with this and what to do, right? </p><p>“Innie. We can ask mom if she knows what all of this means,” Hyunjin voiced his thoughts, his grip on the book of vampires loosing a bit. He couldn’t see the reaction of his cousin, but he could feel the other shift. </p><p>“Alright let’s go”, the kitsune answered and continued to move to get off the bed. Hyunjin followed quickly, but before he got off the bed he shoved the book of vampires underneath the covers of the bed, praying to the gods that it would be save there for the short time he was gone.</p><p>The siren made is way down from the bed relying on muscle memory. The steps of the tall male were secure and well placed making it obvious just how often he had done this in the past. Hyunjin was pretty sure that he had spent more time sleeping in Changbin’s bed than the one that was actually assigned to him. </p><p>When the black-haired male’s feet touched the ground and his hands fell away from the metallic ladder of the bunk bed, his arms was grabbed by his cousin, causing a small surprised noise to erupt from his throat at the sudden contact. </p><p>Jeongin seemed to not mind and instead began to drag his cousin forward. Hyunjin stumbled after the younger male before he could match the kitsune’s quick pace. Within heartbeats the two boys had left the room, walked a few steps down the hallway and stopped in front of the door, which lead to the room they shared with their legal guardian. </p><p>Everything in the headquarter was quiet and dark, nothing seemed to even breath. Hyunjin had no clue why Jeongin had suddenly stopped in front of the door after being in such a hurry just second prior. There was no way to fully comprehend the expression on the blond’s face due the dimness of the hallway. </p><p>“Maybe we shouldn’t ask auntie,” Jeongin mumbled, almost to himself. Hyunjin blinked at his cousin in surprise, not fully understanding why the eagerness that the other had shown before had completely vanished. </p><p>“Why?” Hyunjin breathed out involuntarily. He could faintly make out that Jeongin turned his head towards him. The siren mentally cursed at his bad eye sight in the dark. He was a creature of the ocean for goodness sake. He could see perfectly fine in the darkness of waters, why not above water too? </p><p>“Hyung, what would we do if auntie told us that the things we woke up to, that felt so foreign like it wasn’t our own really were from our friends, from our group?”, the kitsune asked in a whisper, “What would we do?”</p><p>The question hung in the air for a while. Hyunjin felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen reaching his lungs, but he pushed the feeling away, balling his hands into fist. Jeongin’s question hit a mark, but was remaining in uncertainty better? Sure,  they could tell themselves that they had been imagining things but would that be better? </p><p>No, it wouldn’t because the suspicion that the pain they felt was from people they cared about would loom over their head for as long as they weren’t proven otherwise. </p><p>“We have to ask, Innie. We have to”, Hyunjin said, but he wasn’t sure if he had directed the second part at Jeongin or himself. The siren could see his cousin faintly nodding, but he still made no move. </p><p>Hyunjin took a small breath and reached past the male slightly in front of him and knocked on the door. They didn’t want to just enter the room in the dead of night because despite everything Ms. Hwang was a powerful mixed blood that you didn’t want to startle too bad. </p><p>A few heartbeats passed in absolute silence before a light when on in the room. Four heartbeats after that and the door was opened. </p><p>The light stung in Hyunjin’s eyes causing the siren to blink rapidly before he could make out the silhouette of his mother. He felt Jeongin’s grip loosen completely and falling from his arm when he faced Ms. Hwang. The woman was wearing a very casual outfit, but no pajama, which Hyunjin guessed was a precaution for a worst case scenario. </p><p>“Why are you two still up?”, the woman asked, putting her hands on her hips. A person, who didn’t know Ms. Hwang, would assume that she was at least a bit annoyed by the nightly visit from her son and nephew; however, Jeongin and Hyunjin could hear the underlying worry in her tone. <br/>Hyunjin would never deny that his mother was a strict parent that was often busy with work, but he also knew that his mother cared a lot about him and Jeongin. He knew that because she would always take a day off work at the boys’ birthdays if that was necessary and spend the entire day with Hyunjin and Jeongin. He could see how deeply his mother cared for him and his cousin in the way she would look at them while they goofed around and she thought no one was paying attention. He knew his mother loved him and Jeongin because when everything was crumbling to the ground he could rely on her help and support. And right now he needed her help because he didn’t know what else to do. </p><p>“We were woken up by something weird,” Hyunjin answered with a much more vulnerable voice than he intended to use. His mother frowned lightly before ushering the two into the room, closing the door behind them. The woman made the two teens sit down on one of the lower bunk beds, crouching down in front of them. She looked at them with a barely noticeable motherly worry in her eyes. </p><p>“Tell me about it,” she said, voice just a tad softer than usual. A tone Hyunjin knew was reserved from him and Jeongin alone. The eyes of the mixed blooded creature switched between the two young males, showing that she wanted to listen and be there for both boys. </p><p>“It was pretty weird, auntie,” Jeongin admitted quietly while busying himself by playing with the rings on his fingers. He always did that when he was anxious or nervous. “When I woke up I felt panicked and hopeless. It was like I saw someone I cared about badly hurt right in front of me, but the feelings were somehow foreign like they weren’t my own, like they were somebody else’s emotions,” the kitsune explained, still fiddling with his rings. </p><p>Ms. Hwang had her full attention on Jeongin for the moment, waiting for him to finish. The kitsune looked at his aunt for a brief moment before his gaze dropped down to his hands again. Hyunjin took this as his cue to speak up.</p><p>“I woke up a bit after Jeongin because my abdomen hurt like someone put a knife through it for a short moment before the feeling dulled,” the siren began, laying his hand onto the place where he had felt the pain. His mother looked at him with a growing amount of concern in her dark brown orbs. It made the dread in the pit of Hyunjin’s stomach grow. </p><p>“Do you know what this means, auntie?”, Jeongin whispered like he was asking something forbidden. Ms. Hwang ripped her gaze away from her son and looked at her nephew once more. She hesitated for a moment before she sighed.</p><p>“I have a suspicion. If it is correct or not you will have to tell me,” Ms. Hwang answered, giving the boys a bit of a tight smile. At this point, Hyunjin was convinced that the phantom pain he had felt was somehow connected to his group members and that meant that at least one of them had been hurt.</p><p>“Something you never outright told me, but I have noticed is that you both are in a relationship now, right?”, Ms. Hwang guessed, looking at the two teens in front of her. That simple question for confirmation let Hyunjin feel like he had run into a brick wall and judging by the looks of it, Jeongin didn’t feel any better. Both teens had never told Ms. Hwang about their crushes that later became their boyfriends because it was sort of a recent development. </p><p>Still, the fact that apparently Ms. Hwang had known anyway was sort of scary, especially if you considered that not even all of Stray Kids knew that Hyunjin and Changbin were boyfriends. Hyunjin mentally winced when he recalled never officially asking Seungmin to be Changbin and his boyfriend. That thought was quickly followed by a dark wave that washed over Hyunjin’s mind, filling his thoughts with the question if his mother was implying that the strange things that had happened to him and Jeongin were related to their relationships. </p><p>“Yeah, we both are,” Jeongin spoke up again, ripping Hyunjin out of his spiraling thoughts. The siren’s gaze instantly refocus on his mother. A sort flash of pure concern and pity flashed over the woman’s face, tightening the knot of dread in Hyunjin’s stomach. He was sure of it now. The pain he had felt in his abdomen belonged to Changbin or Seungmin, maybe even both. One or both of them were hurt. They had been stabbed by most likely a hunter and he could do nothing to help them. </p><p>“Do you know what soulmates are?,” Ms. Hwang asked, looking at the two boys. Jeongin shook his head slowly, but Hyunjin remained unmoving. The young siren was staring into nothingness  while hands were clutched into fist. Behind his dark brown eyes was a storm of emotions that were begging to be broken out of their containment.</p><p>Ms. Hwang’s gaze lingered on her son, having not only seen but also sensed her child’s distress. She laid her hand onto Hyunjin’s knee successfully ripping the young siren out of his head. The dark brown eyes refocused on her, revealing so much more emotions to her. The more prominent ones begin fear and hopelessness. </p><p>“I will make this short. I believe what you have experienced,” she started, glancing over to Jeongin who was looking at her with the same type of fear she could see in Hyunjin, “is a milder version of the pain your soulmates are feeling. Those soulmates being your respective boyfriends”.</p><p>Both Jeongin and Hyunjin froze on the spot. What Ms. Hwang has told them wasn’t entirely new to them. They already had their theories before they came in here. The one that Ms. Hwang just presented was one of them and she just put a proper name on it. </p><p>The silence from both Jeongin and Hyunjin lead Ms. Hwang to explain the soulmate thing a bit more. “Soulmates are able to feel a proportion of each other’s physical and strong emotional pain through a so called soulmate bond. Sirens are even able to see soulmate bonds as a red string connecting people,” she said, looking at both of her boys. </p><p>The explanation Ms. Hwang had give them seemed to slowly settle into the head of the two teens, but it surely didn’t make things better. No, it made things words. They now had the confirmation Jeongin had worried about even wanting. In the end, ignorance would have really been a bliss. </p><p>Jeongin stared at his aunt with his mouth slightly opened like he wanted to say something, but no word came out of his mouth. Hyunjin was the one who stood up abruptly and began pacing the room, his fingers digging into his arms. </p><p>This couldn’t be happening. This was just not possible. Had the rescue mission gone wrong? Did Changbin get caught up in a trap while on the mission? Did the hunters’ reach the safe spot where Seungmin should be? Had Seungmin somehow decided to join the other’s spontaneously and gotten himself hurt? </p><p> A choked cry felt Hyunjin’s throat when he thought about the two people he was pretty sure he loved being stabbed. No matter what exactly was going on it was horrible and he wanted nothing more than to be there, to be by there sides, even though he knew better than everyone else that he was useless in combat. The only useful ability on land he had was his siren song and the hunters were probably immune to that, but what if the were not? What if he could help? What if he was of use? </p><p>The only answers he got to that question was a mental tug like some sort of instincts was pulling him into a certain direction. </p><p>A hand on his shoulder let him halt and swirl around to face his mother. The woman stood beside him. Her hand heavy on his shoulder which was somehow grounding. The eyes of his mother were filled to the brim with concern that for once wasn’t hidden or dampened in the slightest. It was almost too much for Hyunjin to bear, but there was another mental tug. An instinct that told him to go somewhere. </p><p>The siren didn’t know why, but he looked past his mother to Jeongin who was fiddling with the rings on his fingers, staring at the ground before him. </p><p>“Auntie, I’m Felix’s mate. He once said that finding your mate this young was something super special because some hybrids and werewolves never find their mates. If I remember right, Chan-hyung also once noticed how rare it is to find a soulmate,” the kitsune mumbled absentmindedly, not raising his gaze from the spot he was staring at, “So, can we really afford to loose them?”. </p><p>The words his cousin had mumbled struck a chord with Hyunjin. He remembered his first training session with Mark and how they talked about destined bond. Destined bonds and soulmate bonds were the same thing just with a different name. They were precious and something unique, something that could grow and become stronger over time and apparently something that you only got once if you were lucky. </p><p>Truly, it was nothing one could afford to loose. </p><p>“We need to get to them,” the words slipped out of Hyunjin’s mouth before he thought them through. He could feel his mother’s gaze on him, but he was focused on his cousin. </p><p>Jeongin looked up to Hyunjin. A flash of surprise passing through his eyes before it turned into resolve. He gave the siren a short nod before standing up, showing that he was with his older cousin in that point. </p><p>“Absolutely not,” Ms. Hwang cut in. Her voice was firm yet not unkind. It was evident in her voice that she understood the situation of the two boys, but was against what they were about to do. The hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder grew a bit heavier. The young siren let his gaze wander back to his mother’s face, but what he saw made him freeze for a short moment. </p><p>In his mother’s eyes was not only deep empathy and concern, but also pure fear. She was afraid and that terrified Hyunjin more than he would ever admit. He knew his mother as a strong woman, someone who could overcome every obstacle with pure willpower and wit. Yet, the young siren knew all too well why his mother had every right to be afraid. If Jeongin and him would try to help their friends, they would endanger themselves and his mother would be at risk of loosing the only family she had left.</p><p>Besides Jeongin and Hyunjin, Ms. Hwang had no more family. She lost her parents to an illness, her husband left her when she found out she was pregnant and Jeongin’s parents died in a car crash. Hell, the whole reason Jeongin grew up with Hyunjin like they were brothers was because Ms. Hwang and Hyunjin were the last bit of family the blond kitsune had left.</p><p>“Remember what we were told by Kun before the rescue mission began?,” Ms. Hwang questioned looking at her son and nephew. Her voice was calm yet serious enough for Hyunjin’s mind to almost instinctively focus only on his mother. </p><p>Both Hyunjin and Jeongin remembered the words of the second leader of NCT very clearly. He had told all the creatures, who weren’t participating in the mission, to not come after the rescue party no matter what danger they might be in. It was a clear instruction yet Hyunjin wanted nothing more than to go after his friends and soulmate(s). </p><p>Ms. Hwang looked at the two teens who haven’t uttered a word to answer her question. She exhaled deeply, letting her hand drop from Hyunjin’s shoulder only to rub her palms over her face. Hyunjin felt a bang of guilt hit his chest. He knew that his mother only wanted what was best for him and Jeongin, but he couldn’t stay put now. Not when he could felt it that either Changbin or Seungmin or both were in danger and probably severely injured. There was no way he could live with himself if he just did nothing now. </p><p>“Mum, we have to,” Hyunjin whispered, looking at his mother. His eyes were wide with emotions and bit his lip lightly to keep himself together. Ms. Hwang let another deep sigh escape her lips and let her hands drop from her face. Whatever face she had been keeping up had fallen, mild exhaustion was visible on her face in the form of slightly visible, dark rings around her eyes. </p><p>“Auntie, we can’t abandon them, not when we can literally feel what it is going on,” Jeongin spoke up in a hushed tone right beside Hyunjin. The siren quickly glanced at his cousin who had focused his gaze onto their shared guardian. His eyes were honest, no facade trying to hide the emotions in the dark brown orbs while also showing a certain intensity and urgency. </p><p>Ms. Hwang’s shoulder slumped lightly, another sigh escaping her but this time she also pulled both Hyunjin and Jeongin in her arms, holding onto the two teens. For a moment, Hyunjin wasn’t sure how to react, but his instincts did the work for him and he hugged his mother back in an instant. </p><p>The young siren couldn’t recall when was the last time his mother had hugged him close because Ms. Hwang showed her affection in different ways. She showed how much she cared about someone in her actions, with the way she looked at them and rarely with physical touch.  </p><p>Ms. Hwang pulled away from the hug first, having her right hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder and her left one on Jeongin’s. Her eyes held something close to a mix of regret and pride which confused Hyunjin greatly and a quick glance to Jeongin told him that the blond didn’t know what to make of this either. </p><p>“Is there any chance I will be able to stop you?,” she asked, her gaze switching between the two teens. Both young males shook their head. </p><p>“I figured as much,” Ms. Hwang sighed, squeezing the shoulders’ of the two boys before letting her hand drop. “I will help you despite all logic,” she added with a mild defeat being detectable in her voice. </p><p>Hyunjin choked on a bit on air. It was the last thing he had expected his mother to say, but he couldn’t be happier. His mother was a capable magic user and there was no denying that her sort of mixed blood was more powerful than many thought. </p><p>“Thanks, auntie,” Jeongin spoke up again. Ms. Hwang sighed again and lightly shook her head. It was evident that she didn’t believe this was a good idea but she would help them anyway. </p><p>Hyunjin let himself smile a bit, knowing that having his mother by his side made him feel safer and more sure of himself. Besides, Ms. Hwang probably knew how to use his and Jeongin’s abilities better than anyone else. She raised and taught them the basics, after all. </p><p>Ms. Hwang quickly ushered the two to get their most important stuff together and dress in something useful for combat. The two teen quickly changed into the darkest trainings cloths they owned as well as the most practical footwear they currently own. </p><p>When Hyunjin was tying the laces of his boots, he remember the ancient artifact that was hidden under the bedding of Changbin’s upper bunk bed. The young siren quickly retrieved the ancient book, throwing secrecy out the window for the moment. He would only show it to his family. His family was trustworthy and his mother was probably the only person, who could help him to properly hide it. </p><p>“Mum,” Hyunjin called out to the woman who had also changed her cloths for something more suitable. Ms. Hwang turned towards her son, seeing him standing near the entrance of the room with a book clutched to his chest. </p><p>“Could you create some kind of magical pocket where I can keep this safe?,” Hyunjin asked, while stepping closer to his mother and then reaching out the ancient artifact. The woman quietly scanned the book, her eyes trailing over the engravings before she nodded.</p><p>Without saying a word, the mixed blood raised her hands over the book and mumbled a quick spell. A mix of bright orange and blue magic began to surround the book, covering it in a sort of blanket. Slowly the book began to shrink and reform until there was only a silver necklace with a book charm on Hyunjin’s palm. </p><p>“When you tap the charm twice with your right little finger it will return to its original form until then it stays in this form,” Ms. Hwang explained, “and don’t worry about the chain breaking or the spell disappearing near hunters. It’s transformation magic and therefore immune to any sort of cancelling. Th worst that could happen is that turning it back would require another set of transformation spells.”</p><p>Hyunjin nodded in understand, putting the necklace around his neck and letting it slip underneath his shirt for safekeeping. He made a mental note to himself to appreciate his mother’s magical abilities more. She was probably an experienced version of Seungmin in a way. </p><p>“Now, Jeongin,” Ms. Hwang said, turning to her nephew who was occupying himself with playing with his rings once more. Jeongin looked up when Ms. Hwang said his name and joined his aunt’s side almost automatically. </p><p>“I need you to focus on the emotions you think belong to your soulmate,” Ms. Hwang instructed the young kitsune. Her voice was calm and professional which was in a way calm. For a short moment, Jeongin blinked at his aunt in mild confusion but then hesitantly nodded. The blond closed his eyes and took a deep breath.</p><p>“Okay and now?,” the young kitsune asked while his eyes remained close and his stance almost relaxed. Ms. Hwang hummed in acknowledgment, moving to stand behind Jeongin and laying her hands onto the young male’s shoulders. Hyunjin didn’t know what his mother’s plan was, but he trusted her too much to question her. </p><p>“Hyunjin join me please and hold onto my arm,” the woman requested and Hyunjin followed the instruction, laying his hand onto his mother’s arm. “Jeongin I want you to focus on the things you feel through your soulmate bond while thinking about your soulmate. I need you to picture him in your mind crystal clear,” Ms. Hwang said. Jeongin gave a short nod and took another deep breath. </p><p>“Okay. What now?,” the blond kitsune asked in a whisper. Ms. Hwang let another hum of acknowledgment be heard before Hyunjin saw his mother shift right in front of his eyes. Her dark brown eyes switched to brighter colors, one a bright orange that was similar to Jeongin’s fox eyes and one a deep blue that Hyunjin knew from his siren form; her pupils became horizontal slits. Behind her nine, black fox tails became visible, but her head stayed clean of any fox ears. </p><p>If Hyunjin didn’t know that the person right beside him was his mother, he would have been terrified. His mother didn’t look scary per say, no, she looked magnificent and breathtaking, but the sheer amount of powerful aura this transformation set loose was overwhelming. His mother was a forces to reckon with. </p><p> “Listen to me carefully now, Jeongin. Keep that image you have before your inner eyes right now and just teleport us to him. Only focus on wanting to be by your soulmate’s side and nothing else, alright? I will help you with the teleport, alright?,” Ms. Hwang instructed, her voice now having a bit of an melodic ting to it. </p><p>“Okay,” Jeongin breathed out. Hyunjin gripped his mother’s arm a bit harder, bracing himself for a teleportation that could in no way be pleasant. The siren could hear his heartbeat while the seconds ticked by menacingly slow. Nothing happened but before Hyunjin could open his mouth to say something his surrounding suddenly blurred and he could feel his mother’s arm tensing up while bright orange and blue magic glowed underneath her palms.</p><p>Suddenly Hyunjin could see a lot of white and the cold, almost frosty air of an underground tunnel hit him. He blinked to adjust his eyes and was met with a completely white corridor. There was nothing else in sight except the white walls and floor of their current location. There were no other creatures or hunters in sight and most importantly no Felix. </p><p>“Did it wo-,“ Hyunjin wanted to ask, but before he could finish the question Jeongin pushed past him. The kitsune sprinted down the corridor they were currently in, speeding around a corner  with no effort. The siren was confused for a moment before he realized that Jeongin had a far better nose than him. </p><p>“He knows where to go now,” Ms. Hwang spoke up, lightly laying her hand onto Hyunjin’s shoulder. The siren only blinked and their surroundings had changed yet again. The walls and floor were still white but Jeongin was now mere meters before them again. </p><p>Hyunjin made a mental note that apparently kitsunes could acquire the ability to teleport not only to places they have visited and to places in their near sight, but also people they had an emotional connection to, or at least knew by their looks. He also noted that his mother possessed that ability.</p><p>Jeongin turned at another corner and was once again out of Hyunjin and Ms. Hwang’s sight, but this time they heard a faint voice. Hyunjin immediately took after his cousin, closely followed by his mother. Soon enough they turned at the corner Jeongin had disappeared behind and were met with the faces of familiar people. </p><p>Hyunjin was honestly not surprised to see that Jeongin had already pulled Felix into a hug. The ginger cat hybrid seemed spooked and relieved at the same time. Minho and a grey wold that was probably Chan stood not far from them looking at bit tense. </p><p>Wait, Hyunjin checked again who was here. Minho, Felix and Chan were here. Jisung was in another rescue party and Seungmin was the one who stayed back because of portal stuff, but wait shouldn’t Byungho be here? Wasn’t he supposed to stay with Chan, Minho and Felix?</p><p>“Where is Byungho-hyung?,” Hyunjin asked quietly, looking at Minho for answers. The older male avoided the siren’s gaze, but it wasn’t enough for Hyunjin to not notice the guilt in the cat hybrid’s eyes. </p><p>“He stayed back to fight off Shiela. She is on Zendala and the hunters’ side and caught us off guard,” Minho explained. The older cat hybrid clenched his hand into fists which causes Chan to gently bump his nose into Minho’s side in an attempt to calm the other. </p><p>For a moment, Hyunjin had no clue who Shiela was supposed to be, but it all came to him when he noticed the mild anger radiating off Minho. He was talking about the nurse from Miroh High. The one who had always been so nice to them. </p><p>A sudden wave of pain on his left thigh let Hyunjin hiss and automatically touch down to the place where a wound was supposed to be, but there wasn’t. Suddenly it hit Hyunjin like a wave crashing against the tides. Changbin was hurt. He didn’t know why he was sure it was Changbin, but it was Changbin!</p><p>“Guys, do you know where Changbin is?,” Hyunjin frantically asked his friends. Felix and Jeongin had let go of each other at some point and only remained hand holding. The ginger cat hybrid looked worried and slowly shook his head. When the siren looked at Minho and Chan they did the same. </p><p>“Does anyone of you have a mind link?,” Ms. Hwang spoke up, drawing attention to herself for the first time. Felix, Minho and Chan shook their head yet again. </p><p>“Byungho-hyung is the one with the mind link,” Minho said, looking at Hyunjin very worriedly for a brief moment. Hyunjin felt himself pale. Was there any way they could get to Changbin quickly, or figure out he was even still alive?</p><p>The siren’s hand wander up to his chest, where the transformed book of vampires was resting against his chest. The last thing Hyunjin wanted was to hold onto the ancient artifact forever. He wanted to return it to Changbin as soon as possible. He wanted the other to be okay. </p><p>He felt a light mental tug into a certain direction. </p><p>A hand on his shoulder let his eyes snap up to meet the gaze of his mother. Her mismatched eyes were calm and slowly dragged him back to reality. The pain in his thigh had lessened and was now just a very dull ache. </p><p>“Hyunjin, you are the only one able to find him right now. Don’t think just feel it,” his mother advised. Hyunjin nodded and ignored the worried stares he got from his friends for the moment. He mimicked what Jeongin had done before they teleported her and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and just focused on the dull pain he felt while thinking about wanting to be with Changbin. </p><p>There was a good possibility that he was approaching this wrongly because unlike Jeongin he couldn’t just teleport himself to his soulmate, but soon enough he felt a tug. It was like someone was telling him which way to go, like his instincts just knew. </p><p>He opened his eyes, blocked out basically everything around him and just focused on finding Changbin. His legs began to move on their own and soon enough he was running into an direction that just felt right.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi, I believe this is my first note I ever wrote on this work? </p><p>(Well, supplied that you didn’t read the first draft of this story oop) </p><p>Anyway, hello I’m the author without an upload schedule (I once had one). Updates I guess are pretty infrequent but I’m working on it (this story is soon finished anyway since a ff can only be so long) </p><p>Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thank you a lot for reading &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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